New Delhi: A delegation of BJD MPs on Monday met Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Piyush Goyal in New Delhi and demanded release of pending food subsidy dues of Rs 14,292.51 crore.
The MPs including leaders from Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha have submitted a memorandum to Goyal.
The Odisha Government led by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has been on the forefront of ensuring record production of food grains and third largest contributor of rice to the PDS system.
While the responsibility for procurement of rice from Odisha rests with the Union Government, in order to ensure that the fanners of Odisha do not face any problems, the Odisha Government signed an MOU with the Government of India to be a Decentralised Procurement (DCP) State and help the farmers by procuring foodgrains on behalf of the Government of India, the MPs pointed out in their memorandum.
There is a total pending food subsidy amounting to Rs. 14,292.51 crores that the Government of India is to pay the Odisha Government. Out of the total dues, Rs. 11,689.21 crores pending towards provisional food subsidy and Rs. 2603.30 crores towards advance subsidy, they said.
Besides, the Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation (OSCSC) is yet to be paid Rs. 6,187 crores towards the additional interest it has incurred till November, 2022 cumulatively due to the delay in release and short-release of subsidy by the Government of India.
“This amount still remains un-couped and should be paid by the Government of India. We, the MPs of Biju Janata Dal, as public representatives from Odisha, and in the interests of the lakhs of farmers of Odisha, especially those from western Odisha; we request you to kindly release Rs. 14,292.51 crores of pending food subsidy to Odisha,” the Parliamentarians told Shri Goyal.
They also urged the Union Minister to release Rs. 6,187 crores incurred by the Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation towards the interest incurred by it due to delay in release and short-release of subsidy cumulatively over the years by the Government of India.
Notably, during the last session of Parliament, in July last, the BJD MPs had met Shri Goyal over the same demand. However, the Centre is yet to take any step to release the ending food subsidy dues to Odisha.