Odisha has been ranked as the No. 1 performing state in the country by the Government of India, in their recently published 'State Ranking Index for NFSA' 2022-creating resilient food systems to optimize the delivery of benefits'.
This was announced by Union Food Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday at the Conference of Food Ministers on Food & Nutrition Security in India in New Delhi.
Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, Minister, Food Supplies & Consumer Welfare, Cooperation expressed his happiness about Odisha being ranked No. 1 in the country and said, "it has been only possible for the foresight and vision of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. He has also thanked all the Officers of the Department for their continuous effort to achieve this glory."
The assessment framework for ranking the States and Union Territories is built on three key pillars, which cover the end-to-end implementation of NFSA through TPDS: NFSA - Coverage, targeting and provisions of the Act, Delivery Platform, Nutrition initiatives.
Since the implementation of the National Food Security Act in the State in 2015, Odisha has followed it up with robust end-to-end computerization of TPDS operations. A digitized beneficiaries database of 3.25 crore has been hosted in the public domain, dynamically updated in 378 Ration Card Management System (RCMS) Centres, one each in 314 Blocks and 64 Urban Local Bodies.
All the 152 food storage depots of the Food Supplies & Consumer Welfare Department have been fully automated with provision for real-time electronic recording of doorstep delivery of 1.87 lakh MT foodgrains per month at 12,133 Fair Price Shops across the State. All the Fair Price Shops are equipped with electronic Point of Sale (e-PoS) devices which ensure distribution to PDS beneficiaries through automated mode.
One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) Programme has been implemented across the state from July 2021. PDS beneficiaries are now availing of intra-state/inter-state portability of ration cards and are able to choose any fair price shops of their choice & convenience to receive their monthly entitlements. Around 1.10 lakh families are receiving ration through the intra-state facility and 533 families receive ration through the inter-state facility every month. Keeping in view the network connectivity, 10578 fair price shops have been made ONORC-enabled shops out of a total of 12,206. The number may increase once network connectivity in those fair-price shop locations improves.
Odisha has implemented the pilot scheme of 'Supply of Fortified Rice under Public Distribution in Malkangiri district' since July 2021. Around 1.29 lakh families comprising 4.66 lakh members under NFSA & State Food Security Scheme are being supplied 3,138 MT fortified rice every month. Apart from PDS (Pilot), this Department has started supplying fortified rice to School & Mass Education Department for PM-POSHAN (erstwhile MDM) programme and to Women & Child Development Department for the SNP programme in a phased manner.
( With inputs from ANI )
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