Odisha Govt extends free 5kg rice scheme for one more year

Bhubaneswar: In view of Covid resurgence caused by Omicron sub-variants, Odisha Government extended free 5kg rice for the beneficiaries under under State Food Security Scheme (SFSS) for another one year.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today announced to provide 5kg rice per month free of cost to the beneficiaries.

As per the direction, the free 5kg rice under SFSS will be provided for a period of 12 months starting from January till December, 2023.

The total expenditure of Rs 185 crore will be spent from the state exchequer, a release from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) stated today.

The state government has been distributing 5kg rice per person per month to the left-out eligible beneficiaries covered under the State Food Security Scheme at Re 1 per kg since October 2018.

The beneficiaries under the SFSS have been provided with additional rice and pulses during last 28 months due to prevailing Covid-19 pandemic in the state. Besides, Rs 1000 cash incentive was given to each family under National Food Security Act (NFSA) and SFSS twice during the period.