Homeless, destitute to get subsidised food

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 30

The Centre is in the final stages of developing a system that will help provide subsidised ration to the homeless and the destitute who don’t have ration cards.

“The process is on. The system is in the final stages of development and then it will be put to trial. The idea is to target all homeless, shelter-less destitute who might not have ration cards,” Food Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey told the media.

The government supplies foodgrain at Rs 1-3 per kg to more than 81 crore people having ration cards through the Public Distribution System (PDS) as part of the National Food Security Act (NFSA).

The Centre is also supplying free foodgrain to NFSA beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) as part of relief measures during the Covid pandemic. This scheme is valid till March 2022.

However, the homeless and the destitute with no ration or identity card or residential address proof cannot be covered under the NFSA and the PMGKAY.

“All these issues will be addressed,” said Pandey.

Meanwhile, FCI CMD Atish Chandra said states had lifted 11.21 lakh tonnes of foodgrain in the 2021-22 fiscal for distribution to people not covered under the NFSA.

State governments have managed to cover 79.71 crore out of the total 81 crore NFSA beneficiaries. They have been asked to immediately reach out to the remaining 1.6 crore beneficiaries, identify them and bring them under the NFSA’s ambit, officials said.