Aizawl: Mizoram government would implement the National Food Security Act, 2013 from this November and arrangement for availability of rice for those excluded in the scheme would also be made, state’s Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister John Rotluangliana said here on Wednesday.
The National Food Security Act, 2013 is an Act of the Parliament of India which aims to provide subsidized food grains to approximately two thirds of India’s 1.2 billion people. It was signed into law on September 12, 2013, retroactive to July 5, 2013.
Rotluangliana told a press conference that 7,06,296 people out of around 11 lakh people in the state would be covered by the Food Security Scheme while the rest of the population would be able to purchase eight kilos of rice per month at a higher rate.
“The AAY (Antyodaya Anna Yojana) families numbering 26,100 (covering 1,28,114 persons) would be given a monthly quota of 35 kilos at the cost of Rs 3 a kilo,” he said, adding that 5,78,182 people would receive five kilos of rice at the rate of Rs 3 per month under the scheme,” the minister said.
The state government made arrangements so that people receiving five kilos a month at the rate of Rs 3 would avail additional three kilos at the rate of Rs 15 a kilo, the minister said.
He also said that the people left out by the Food Security Scheme would also be able to purchase eight kilos of rice at the rate of rupees 15 per month so that the whole population is covered by the PDS.
The Minister said that the yoke of monopoly by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) in the case of purchase of food grains was shed by the state government by resorting to local purchase.
“While we used to purchase rice from the FCI at the rate of Rs 3,134 per quintal, we now purchased a quintal of rice at the rate of Rs 2,575 resulting in savings of over Rs 2.44 crore in a month,” he said. Rice was being procured from a local contractor of Aizawl,he added. (PTI)
