Delhi to take lead in rolling out food security scheme

Dikshit sets up committee ahead of Aug 20 launch

Delhi is all set to become the first state in the country to roll out the food security scheme with chief minister Sheila Dikshit on Monday saying that the ambitious programme will be launched on August 20, the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Delhi’s food and civil supplies minister Harun Yusuf said, “The chief minister informed the Union food minister that Delhi will be the first state in the country to roll out the scheme.”
Yusuf said the Delhi Government has started the ground work for implementation of the scheme and Dikshit has appointed a committee under his chairmanship for making all the preparations.

When asked about his meeting with the CM, Thomas said Dikshit sought some clarifications on number of beneficiaries and prices of food grains and he clarified about them.

President Pranab Mukherjee had signed the ordinance on Friday that will give the nation’s three-fourth population the right to get 5 kg of foodgrains every month at highly subsidised rates of Rs 1-3 per kg. Per kg of rice will be supplied at Rs 3 while wheat and wheat and coarse cereals will be given at Rs 2 and Rs 1 per kg respectively under the programme.

However, about 2.43 crore poorest of the poor families covered under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) scheme under PDS would continue to get 35 kg of grains per family per month but with legal entitlement.

The food security programme will be the biggest in the world with the government spending estimated at Rs 125,000 crore annually on supply of about 62 million tonnes of rice, wheat and coarse cereals to 67 per cent of the population.

Delhi Government had launched Annashri Yojna, a major food security programme, in December last year, under which monthly cash subsidy of Rs 600 are being transferred directly into Aadhaar-linked bank account of the senior-most female member of about one lakh poor families.