Ration Card Holders In Odisha To Get Both Wheat & Rice From January: Minister

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has taken necessary steps for providing Odisha will get wheat to the ration card holders along with rice under food security schemes from January, 2025.

Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra told reporters on Thursday that the state has already received wheat for this purpose. The ration card holders will get both wheat and rice from the first week of January after completion of certain procedural formalities, he said.

Stating that data has been sought regarding the requirement of wheat by the beneficiaries from different districts, the Minister said some beneficiaries require wheat, while others want only rice through the PDS.

The government will make a tender as per the requirement and initiate distribution accordingly.  The process will some time as e-KYC work also needs to be completed, he said, adding that around 85 per cent of e-KYC has been done and more than 16 lakh ineligible beneficiaries have been identified so far. It will take 15 more days to complete the work.

Notably, the state government had decided to provide wheat along with rice to the ration card holders after BJP came to power in the state.