Bhubaneswar: The State Cabinet today decided to distribute Rs 1000 and two jute bags to all ration card holders of the State.
The Cabinet led by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has approved a total of 26 proposals including distribution of Rs 1000 livelihood assistance to each beneficiary family under the Public Distribution System (PDS) and two jute bags for buying essential commodities.
After ensuring food and nutritional security of 95,90,526 families comprising of 3,35,98,401 members covered under the PDS, the State Government felt it expedient to extend further support to these beneficiary families for their ease of living in day to day life, said Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak.
Since these families find it difficult to arrange appropriate sized carry bags at affordable prices for collection of their PDS foodgrain entitlements from the Fair Price Shop as well as for their daily use, the State Government has decided to provide two numbers of jute carry baas of 20 kilogram and 10 kilogram capacity to each of the 95,90,526 PDS families for their daily use, free of cost, he said.
It is also observed that due to the rise in the market prices of other essential commodities, these PDS beneficiary families face hardship to fetch the same for consumption.
The State Government has also decided to support such families by providing one-time livelihood assistance of Rs 1000 in shape of cash, to each of the 95,90,526 PDS families, announced the Minister.
The fund requirement for procurement and distribution of 1,91,81,052 numbers of jute carry bags will come to Rs 278.69 crore and for one-time livelihood assistance of Rs. 1000 per family in shape of cash will come to Rs 959.05 crore, totalling to Rs 1,237.74 crore which will be borne out of the State Budget, he informed.