Poor in state to get relief through Atma Nirbhar Bharat package

SHILLONG: The state government will take care of those who do not have ration cards through the Atma Nirbhar Bharat package.
In reply to a short duration discussion on the PDS in the state, the Food and Civil Supplies Minister James Sangma said in the Assembly on Friday that the state government is devising ways and means to include those who have left out of NFSA under the central scheme.
The Centre will allocate 10 percent of the NFSA food grains under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat package to cater to the stranded migrant workers.
“We have a device in place to cater to those who are left out and this will be through the surplus food grains earmarked through the Atma Nirbhar Bharat package,” he said.
Under Atma Nirbhar Bharat package, the Centre has decided that food grains will be provided free of cost at the rate of 5 kg per month for May and June to about 8 crore migrant workers who are not covered under NFSA or state scheme with PDS cards.
The total cost of about Rs 3500 crore for implementation of the scheme will be fully borne by the Centre. All India allocation of food grains under the scheme is 8 lakh metric tonnes.
James also said the state government will be able to include those families who are excluded from the PDS once the Socio-Economic Census, 2021 comes into force.
James said that many might not have the ration cards since the list of the beneficiaries was prepared as per the Socio-Economic Census of 2011.
“There are many people who started a new family and the number of members in many of the families had gone up since nine years had passed since the last census,” James said.
The minister said the state government cannot go against the specified guidelines of the NFSA Act for inclusion of the new households under the PDS system.