The Odisha government on Friday extended the distribution of free rice to beneficiaries covered under the State-run Food Security Scheme (SFSS) for six more months.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on the occasion of Utkal Dibasa 2022 made the major announcement while directing officials to extend distribution of additional 5 kg of rice per month free of cost to beneficiaries of the SFSS from April 1st.
About 8.09 lakh beneficiaries covered under the scheme will be benefited from this move, the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said in a statement on Friday.
The state government will distribute 24,270 tonne of rice from the State pool with an expenditure of Rs 91.70 crore from its own fund, the statement mentioned.
This will facilitate beneficiaries enrolled in the SFSS to remain at par with beneficiaries under National Food Security Act (NFSA).
Notably, the Union government recently extended the free foodgrain distribution scheme under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) for six more months from March 2022.
Under the PMGKAY, the Centre gives an additional five kg of rice or wheat per month to beneficiaries of the (NFSA) over and above their usual monthly quota for free.
Earlier, the benefit of 5 kg free rice was extended for the beneficiaries of the SFSS from December 2021 to March 2022.
(With agency inputs)