Goa to implement Food Security Bill by September 15

The crucial Food Security Bill will be implemented in Goa by September 15 this year, a minister told the state legislative assembly here today.
Goa Civil Supplies Minister Dayanand Mandrekar told the House that delays in implementing the bill were due to the code of conduct imposed during the recent Lok Sabha election.
"We wanted to implement the Food Security Bill but we lost three months due to code of conduct. We had requested the Centre to give us additional time which was granted to us. We will implement this Bill by September 15," the minister said, replying to the cut motion on the demand of grants for civil supply, water resources and art and culture department.

The government also announced that digitalisation of the public distribution system (PDS) records would be ready by March 2015 and Bardez would be the first taluka to get smart ration cards.
Mandrekar said that the state run Goa Electronics Ltd (GEL) has digitalised data of ration card holders in Bardez taluka.
"Smart ration cards would be issued across Goa by March, 2015," he said, adding several difficulties were encountered by officials during the digitalisation process.

The Goa state government would give six months for ration card holders to fill up forms and smart ration cards would be issued to whoever fills up these forms.

The minister said that there are several families which live abroad due to which, they cannot complete formalities.
In Bardez taluka there are 77,000 ration cards, of which, only 44,000 people have filled up the forms, he said.