Meghalaya all set to launch food security scheme

A CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG, Feb 9: Meghalaya is ready to roll out the tiol Food Security Act (NFSA) from this month.

According to Meghalaya Food and Civil Supplies Minister, Clement Marak, under the NFSA there are a total of 21, 49, 095 beneficiaries.

He said under the scheme beneficiaries will be provided rice at a cost of Rs 3 and wheat at Rs 2 per kilograms.

He also informed that out of the 21, 48, 095 citizens, 18, 45, 631 (77.79 per cent) are in the rural areas and 3, 03, 464 (50.87 per cent) are in the urban areas.

The Food and Civil Supplies Minister said that the department has already started distributing the NFSA cards to the beneficiaries.

“The districts have been informed to hold one more hearing for claims and objections,” Marak informed.

He also informed that beneficiaries under NFSA would receive 5 kilograms of the subsidized foo

dgrains per month even as families under Antyodaya An Yoja (AAY) will receive 35 kilograms of foodgrains per month.

Marak informed that under the NFSA scheme the state will receive 8792.18 metric tons of rice and 1483.85 metric tons of wheat, whereas the monthly quantity of rice for AAY category is 448.53 metric tons while the quantity of wheat is 75.70 metric tons.