BJD MPs demand Centre for release of pending food subsidy of over Rs 14k crore to Odisha

Bhubaneswar/New Delhi: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MPs demanded the Centre for release of pending food subsidy of over Rs 14,000 crore and payment of Rs. 6,187 crore towards additional interest that Odisha incurred till November 30 this year.

A delegation of BJD MPs including Lok Sabha members Pinaki Mishra, Achyutananda Samanta, Anubhav Mohanty and Rajya Sabha members Sasmit Patra, Sulata Deo and Amar Patnaik put forth their party’s demand to Union Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Minister Piyush Goyal through a memorandum in New Delhi today.

Odisha Government led by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has been on the forefront of ensuring record production of foodgrains and being the 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 farmers 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 memorandum read.

There is a total pending food subsidy amounting to Rs 14,292.51 crore, of which Rs 11,689.21 crore towards provisional food subsidy and Rs 2603.30 crores towards advance subsidy, that the Centre is to pay the Odisha Government, the parliamentarians from BJD stated.

Besides, the Centre is yet to pay Rs. 6,187 crore to Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation towards the additional interest that has incurred till 30.11.2022 cumulatively due to the delay in release and short-release of subsidy.

Through the memorandum, the representatives from Odisha urged the Union Minister to release Rs. 14,292.51 crore pending food subsidy comprising of Rs. 11,689.21 crore as provisional subsidy and pending advance subsidy of Rs. 2603.30 crore.

They also requested for release of Rs. 6,187 crore incurred by the Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation towards the interest.