As part of the scheme, food grains at a scale of 5 kg per person per month will be provided to all the eligible beneficiaries over and above the regular monthly entitlements under the National Food Security Act (NFSA). The food grains will be distributed for five months from July to November 2021.
The Food Corporation of India (FCI), Odisha region has mobilized its resources to ensure proper implementation of the extended PMGKAY-IV.
“The Government of India will bear the entire expenditure covering the cost of food grains, that is cost of its procurement, storage and transportation as well as distribution. In this process, GoI will spend Rs 39 per kg for rice and Rs 28 per kg for wheat,” FCI, Odisha Region General Manager, Nishith Kumar Pradhan said.
Under the scheme, about 199 lakh metric tonnes of food grains will be distributed to the vulnerable society across the country and the total cost borne by Government of India will be approximately Rs 67,492 crore.
For Odisha, the entire cost of the food grains which comes around Rs 3044 crore that will be borne by Centre, he said.
“Lifting of food grains under the scheme has already been stated in Odisha. Approximately, 1.08 lakh metric tonnes of wheat and 7.03 lakh metric tonnes of rice have been allotted for Odisha under the scheme which will be lifted by OSCSC Ltd from central pool stocks and FCI depots,” said Mr.Pradhan.
FCI Odisha is fully prepared to meet the requirement of the state under PMGKAY-IV for which food grains has to be lifted by October 31, 2021. FCI Odisha has already positioned sufficient food grains in all its depots for successful implementation of the scheme and started supplying food grains to state agency for lifting, he added.
Under PMGKAY-III, which was announced by the Centre for two months during May-June 2021, about 79 lakh metric tonnes of food grains were distributed to 80 crore beneficiaries across the country.
Similarly, 43000 metric tonnes of wheat and 2.82 lakh metric tonnes of rice was allotted for the state of Odisha. The entire cost of the food grains was about Rs 1220 crore for Odisha which was solely borne by the Government of India.