Jammu, Nov 02: Union Secretary, Food and Public Distribution (DFPD), Sanjeev Chopra on Thursday highlighted the importance of the scheme for ensuring food security for vulnerable sections across the country. He said the Government of India has been making all-out efforts to ensure the success of the flagship programme, for the larger interest of the beneficiaries.
After inaugurating an awareness programme on “One Nation One Ration Card” here at Udhyog Bhawan, Chopra elaborated to beneficiaries the highlights of the scheme and the need for availing and promoting benefits under the scheme.
To symbolize the program’s success and the government’s commitment towards food security, Sanjeev personally distributed fortified rice packets among the beneficiaries present at the event. This gesture marked a significant step toward realizing the “One Nation One Ration Card” initiative’s goals. “The program’s launch and the positive responses from beneficiaries in Jammu demonstrate the program’s effectiveness in facilitating access to essential food items and ensuring that no eligible citizen goes without basic necessities, regardless of their location within India,” he said.
During the event, Commissioner Secretary Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA), Zubair Ahmed, revealed that the Department of Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs is currently providing free and subsidized food grains to 25 lakh households, benefiting 98 lakh beneficiaries. “Of these, 66,56,907 beneficiaries, covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), receive free food grains, while 31,55,292 beneficiaries receive food grains at a highly subsidized rate in the NPHH group,” he said, adding that the department has been actively working on reforms and technology interventions to make the Public Distribution System more transparent and convenient for beneficiaries.
Additionally, J&K has been providing additional top-ups of up to 10 kilograms per month to Priority Households under the Prime Minister’s Food Supplementation for Priority Households Scheme. Statutory mechanisms have been established and strengthened to ensure efficient operations of the Public Distribution System for the greater public good, he added.
“Distribution of 100% fortified rice across all districts of Jammu and Kashmir, which commenced in October 2023 under NFSA is one of the noteworthy developments. Moreover, more than one million deletions were made during the De-duplication exercise, while 89,427 genuine households were also added to the Public Distribution System,” Zubair said.
