Minister Assures No Disruption in Food Security Benefits Despite Online KYC Process |
Bhubaneswar: Food supplies and consumer welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra assured the assembly on Wednesday that grain distribution under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) would continue uninterrupted during the ongoing e-KYC verification process.
“Of the total beneficiaries, 2.69 crore have completed their e-KYC, while 67 lakh verifications are pending,” Patra said in a written reply to a question posed by BJD MLA Dhruba Charan Sahoo. The govt provides 5kg rice/person under NFSA and 35kg to Antodaya Yojana beneficiaries, besides millets.
The e-KYC drive, launched on Aug 22, covers more than 11,000 fair price shops across the state. Beneficiaries can verify their biometric details through e-POS (Electronic Point of Sale) machines at any location, including outside the state.
Addressing concerns about possible exclusions, Patra emphasised that no beneficiaries were removed from the list except in cases of death. The govt is actively adding new applicants to replace deceased beneficiaries, he said.
Responding to queries about recent deaths in Mandipanka village, Kandhamal district, the minister clarified that there was no disruption in PDS rice distribution. “The affected families received their rice quota for July, Aug, and Sept, in the month of July and 12kg of millets each in Sept,” he stated.
The minister maintained that the deaths were caused by food poisoning from mango kernel consumption, not food shortage. “Joint investigations by local officials confirmed adequate food grain stocks in the deceased’s households,” Patra added.
The govt has also introduced measures to strengthen the public distribution system, including flexible lifting options allowing beneficiaries to collect their quotas up to two months in advance, he said.
“Of the total beneficiaries, 2.69 crore have completed their e-KYC, while 67 lakh verifications are pending,” Patra said in a written reply to a question posed by BJD MLA Dhruba Charan Sahoo. The govt provides 5kg rice/person under NFSA and 35kg to Antodaya Yojana beneficiaries, besides millets.
The e-KYC drive, launched on Aug 22, covers more than 11,000 fair price shops across the state. Beneficiaries can verify their biometric details through e-POS (Electronic Point of Sale) machines at any location, including outside the state.
Addressing concerns about possible exclusions, Patra emphasised that no beneficiaries were removed from the list except in cases of death. The govt is actively adding new applicants to replace deceased beneficiaries, he said.
Responding to queries about recent deaths in Mandipanka village, Kandhamal district, the minister clarified that there was no disruption in PDS rice distribution. “The affected families received their rice quota for July, Aug, and Sept, in the month of July and 12kg of millets each in Sept,” he stated.
The minister maintained that the deaths were caused by food poisoning from mango kernel consumption, not food shortage. “Joint investigations by local officials confirmed adequate food grain stocks in the deceased’s households,” Patra added.
The govt has also introduced measures to strengthen the public distribution system, including flexible lifting options allowing beneficiaries to collect their quotas up to two months in advance, he said.
