Haryana to roll out food security scheme

To launch the programme on Rajiv Gandhi's birth anniversary

Having an eye on the upcoming Lok Sabha and assembly elections, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is leaving no stone unturned to woo voters as well as the Congress high command.

Hooda announced that the ambitious National Food Security Ordinance would be rolled out on August 20, the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The Delhi administration too would launch the scheme on the same day. Officials in the state's food and supplies department are working overtime to compile requisite information and prepare estimates for the distribution of foodgrains.

Talking to Business Standard, Haryana Chief Secretary P K Chaudhary, also the chairman of the committee constituted to work out modalities for inclusion of more beneficiaries under the scheme, said that with scheme's launch, the number of beneficiary families for subsidised food would increase from 13 lakhs to 28 lakhs.

He said estimates for additional requirement of foodgrains were being prepared and would be sent to the Centre soon. "Since wheat is the staple food in Haryana, the demand for rice and coarse grain is not likely to be high. We would be needing higher quantities of wheat," Chaudhary said.

He admitted that it was a gargantuan task but was confident of implementing the scheme on August 20. The state government is also gearing up to provide dal at Rs 20 per kg for each below-poverty-level (BPL) family every month.

According to sources in the food and supplies department, Haryana has 9,174 fair-price shops through which beneficiaries are now supplied subsidised food grains. On an average, a fair-price shop has 638 ration cards against the capacity of 1,200 to 1,300 cards. "Thus, the state has enough infrastructure to successfully implement the scheme," the chief secretary added.

He said that there were currently 54.4 lakh beneficiaries under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY), BPL and state BPL schemes, constituting 21.4 per cent of the total population.

Under the new scheme, the number of such beneficiaries would increase to 130.8 lakh, constituting 51.6 per cent of the total population of the state.

However, he said that the number of additional beneficiaries under the scheme would go up to 76.45 lakh, constituting 30.1 per cent of the population.

Detailing the urban and rural beneficiaries, an official in the food and supplies department said that at present, 38.6 lakh rural beneficiaries were availing themselves of the benefit of the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), constituting 23.3 per cent of the rural population.

Now, with implementation of the new scheme, 85.2 lakh rural beneficiaries would be benefited under the TPDS, constituting 51.5 per cent of the rural population.

Similarly in the urban areas, 15.8 lakh beneficiaries constituting 17.9 per cent of the urban population are availing themselves of the benefit under the TPDS.

Under the new scheme, the number of such beneficiaries will increase to 45.5 lakh, constituting 51.6 per cent of the urban populace. He maintained that the ranks of rural beneficiaries would go up 2.2 times, while those in the urban areas 2.9 times.