Fortified rice supply, border roads get Rs 21K crore Cabinet push

The Cabinet on Wednesday decided to continue the supply of free fortified rice under the food law and other welfare schemes till 2028 with an outlay of Rs 17,082 crore, a move aimed at reducing anaemia and micro-nutrient deficiency. It also approved the construction of 2,280 kilometre (km) roads in border areas of Rajasthan and Punjab at an investment of Rs 4,406 crore.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The rice fortification process involves the addition of Fortified Rice Kernels (FRK) enriched with micro-nutrients (iron, folic acid, Vitamin B12) according to standards prescribed by food regulator FSSAI to regular rice (custom milled rice). Information & Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the financial implication to supply free fortified rice of Rs 17,082 crore will be fully funded by the Centre.

“The Union Cabinet has approved the continuation of the universal supply of fortified rice under all schemes of the Government, including Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) and other welfare schemes etc in its present form, from July 2024 and up to December 2028,” according to an official statement. The rice fortification initiative will continue as a central sector initiative with 100 per cent funding by the central government as part of PMGKAY (Food Subsidy), thus providing a unified institutional mechanism for implementation, it added.

National Maritime Heritage Complex in Gujarat

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday also approved the development of the National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) in Gujarat, which is aimed to showcase India’s maritime heritage and history.

The project, located in Lothal, has been in the works and gets routinely monitored at the highest levels of the government, officials said. The phase 1A of the project is under implementation with more than 60 per cent physical progress and is planned to be completed by 2025.

“Phases 1A and 1B of the project are to be developed in EPC mode and Phase 2 of the project will be developed through land subleasing/PPP to establish NMHC as a world class heritage museum,” a statement by the cabinet said. Around 22,000 jobs are expected to be created in development of the project, with 15,000 direct and 7,000 indirect, according to government estimates.

The masterplan of the NMHC has been prepared by Architect Hafeez Contractor and the construction of phase 1A is being done by Tata Projects.