Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Cabinet on Monday approved the food security scheme of the state government to include the poor, distressed and eligible beneficiaries who have been left out under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) according to the Central government guidelines.
Briefing mediapersons after the meeting, which was presided over by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the State Secretariat here, Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi said according to 2011 Census, the rate of population growth in Odisha was 14% in the last decade. The rate of growth translates to an increase in population by 10.22 % compared to 2011. “The approximate population of the state in 2018 is 4,62,63,983. If the same percentage of 78% coverage (NFSA) is followed, then there is a shortfall in the coverage,” he pointed out.
Padhi further said that the Centre has not considered the request of the state government to increase the beneficiaries’ upper ceiling. Chief Minister Naveen Minister had also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to increase the target by 34.44 lakh under the NFSA, he added.
“Taking note of the above, the state government decided to amend the Odisha Food Security Rules, 2017 to utilise its own resources to cover all poor, distressed and beneficiaries who have been left out under NFSA. The state government is committed to extend food security to all eligible for the same,” the chief secretary pointed out.
Stating that the rice requirement will be met out of the State Pool, he said the scheme will be implemented from October 2 this year.
Giving details about procedures for the selection of beneficiaries under the state’s own food security scheme, Padhi said the state government has proposed nine exclusion criteria and 11 auto-inclusion criteria.
The 9 exclusion criteria are as follows:
1. Household having a member who owns a four-wheeler vehicle or a heavy vehicle.
2. Households having a member working as a regular employee of the Central government or the state government, public sector undertaking (PSU), government-aided autonomous bodies and local bodies (incentive and honorarium based workers would not be considered under this criterion).
3. Households having a member working in the private sector with a monthly salary of more than Rs 10,000 in rural areas and Rs 15,000 in urban areas.
4. Households having a member who owns an enterprise (other than micro-enterprises) registered with the government for manufacturing and services.
5. Households having domestic electric connection with a load of 2 KW or more and/or consuming an average of 300 units of energy (KWH) per month (average over one year).
6. Households having a member paying income tax or professional tax.
7. Households having a member drawing a monthly pension of more than Rs 10,000 in rural areas and Rs 15,000 in urban areas.
8. Households having a member who owns tractors and harvesters.
9. Households who own three or more rooms with RCC roof not constructed under the Indira Awas Yojana or the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana or the Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana or the Nirman Shramik Yojana.
Referring to the 11 auto-inclusion criteria, the chief secretary said under the Odisha Food Security Rules, 2017, there were six auto-inclusion criteria which are as follows:
1. All households coming under Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) category.
2. Households without shelter (Certificate from people’s representative/any responsible officer of the concerned block/urban local body)
3. Households without destitute living on alms (Certificate from people’s representative/any responsible officer of the concerned block/urban local body)
4. Households with widows and other single women with no regular support.
5. Households having a person with disability (40% and above)
6. Transgender applicant.
“However, under the new amendment in the said Rules, five new auto-inclusion criteria have been proposed to be included as per guidelines issued by Centre to cover poor and distressed persons under Antodaya Anna Yojana and Annapurna scheme,” Padhi informed.
The five new criteria are as follows:
1. Households with old persons (aged 60 or above) with no regular support and no assured means of subsistence.
2. Households where due to old age, lack of physical or mental fitness, social customs, need to care for the disabled or other persons, no adult member is available to engage in gainful employment outside the house.
3. Households dependent on daily wage labour.
4. Internally displaced persons due to various projects.
5. Households having a person suffering from leprosy/HIV/any other critical diseases.
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