Guwahati: The Assam Government hopes to implement the National Food Security Ordinance, which has just been passed by the Congress-led UPA government in the Centre, within six months as desired by the Central government.
Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi on Thursday said he had already discussed with concerned officials in the State about implementation of the Food Security Ordinance and claimed that Assam was in an advantageous stage to translate the ordinance into a reality within six months as stipulated by the Centre given the availability of lists of beneficiaries under various state government welfare schemes like Annapurna, Antodaya etc.
“We have the firm basis to finalise the beneficiaries under the Food Security Ordinance as the state government has been running similar schemes for the poor people in the State and the beneficiary list for those schemes are already there,” he said.
“These lists of beneficiaries have to be upgraded to prepare a beneficiaries’ list under the Food Security Ordinance,” he added.
Gogoi informed that as per the Centre’s directive 75 per cent of the rural population and 50 per cent of the urban population in the State would have to be covered under the Food Security Ordinance.
Gogoi said that the picture about the implementation of the National Food Security Ordinance would become clearer after he attended the meeting of the Congress chief ministers as called by the Prime Minister.