States but to spot 39.79 lakh beneficiaries underneath meals safety scheme; Bihar leads the listing | India News – Times of India
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NEW DELHI: Amid reports of several migrant labourers struggling to get the highly subsidized foodgrain under the National Food Security Scheme, official data reveal that 39.79 lakh potential beneficiaries have not yet been brought under its coverage by the states till date. Bihar tops the list where 14.04 lakh beneficiaries have not yet been identified to get the benefit.
The data show that the gap between the number of accepted persons under the scheme and the number of persons identified by Himachal Pradesh is 8.18 lakh. In Tamil Nadu, this gap is 7.36 lakh. The other states and UT that have bad record are Odisha and Chandigarh.
“A large number of migrant labourers are from Bihar. Identifying 100% beneficiaries under the food security scheme would have brought huge relief to such a large section of people to get rice at Rs 3 a kg and wheat at Rs 2 under NFSA and extra five kg per person per month for free for the next three months. They would have also access to one kg free pulses per month per family,” said a government official.
There are 15 states where there is no such gap and these include Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Punjab, West Bengal and Uttarakhand.
In the case of other states, the gap is less than a thousand.
According to official data, while 81.35 crore beneficiaries are entitled for highly subsidized foodgrains, as of now little over 80.95 crore have been identified by the states and UTs.
The NFSA enacted during UPA-2 had identified beneficiaries as per the 2011 census data. It covered 75% of the rural and 50% of the urban population to bring them under food security net.
Experts have sought the need to revise the coverage as the population has increased significantly between 2011 and now.
The data show that the gap between the number of accepted persons under the scheme and the number of persons identified by Himachal Pradesh is 8.18 lakh. In Tamil Nadu, this gap is 7.36 lakh. The other states and UT that have bad record are Odisha and Chandigarh.
“A large number of migrant labourers are from Bihar. Identifying 100% beneficiaries under the food security scheme would have brought huge relief to such a large section of people to get rice at Rs 3 a kg and wheat at Rs 2 under NFSA and extra five kg per person per month for free for the next three months. They would have also access to one kg free pulses per month per family,” said a government official.
There are 15 states where there is no such gap and these include Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Punjab, West Bengal and Uttarakhand.
In the case of other states, the gap is less than a thousand.
According to official data, while 81.35 crore beneficiaries are entitled for highly subsidized foodgrains, as of now little over 80.95 crore have been identified by the states and UTs.
The NFSA enacted during UPA-2 had identified beneficiaries as per the 2011 census data. It covered 75% of the rural and 50% of the urban population to bring them under food security net.
Experts have sought the need to revise the coverage as the population has increased significantly between 2011 and now.
