GUWAHATI: The Government of Assam has announced its intention to broaden the reach of the National Food Security Act (NFSA). This expansion aims to encompass an additional 40 lakh individuals, ensuring a larger portion of the population gains access to regular and timely supplies of essential food grains.
During a comprehensive review of the initiative's progress, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma shared key details via Twitter. He highlighted that 61,09,564 Ration Cards have been distributed among a total of 2,14,49,580 beneficiaries, with the target beneficiaries set at 2,52,18,002.
The coverage of NFSA beneficiaries has reached an impressive 85.06%, and a substantial portion of beneficiaries, totalling 2,09,57,973, have Aadhar-seeded accounts. Moreover, the state has effectively operationalized 34,285 Fair Price Shops (FPS) under the One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) scheme and 33,391 FPS equipped with electronic Point of Sale (ePOS) systems.
It's notable that the Assam Food Security Rule, 2022, forms the basis for beneficiary selection and inclusion, with an increased eligibility income criterion of ₹4 lakh per annum, up from the earlier ₹2.5 lakh per annum.
Several districts have showcased outstanding progress in the inclusion of new beneficiaries, with Hojai, West Karbi Anglong, and Dhemaji achieving 100% inclusion rates. Other districts like Kamrup (M) and Charaideo have also made substantial strides with inclusion rates of 94.57% and 83.86%, respectively.