SRINAGAR: Minister for Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD) Department, Ch. Zulfkar Ali on Saturday said that government will soon open new fair price shops across the State that would generate new avenues of employment for youth.
He said in order to lessen the burden on the existing Sale outlets/FPS, Department is going to open 2700 new FP Shops for which policy is being formulated. He also said that newly launched National Food Security Act (NFSA) is providing highly subsidized ration to 95 per cent of the population in the State.
Winding up the Discussion on Demand of Grants for CAPD Department in the Legislative Assembly, the minister said that with the implementation of NFSA, more than 20 lakh left out beneficiaries have been included under Public Distribution System (PDS) in the State.
He said that the Act covers around 74.13 lakh under Priority, while as 45 lakh are covered under ‘Non-Priority’, making the total to 119.13 lakh soul as against 99 lakh souls previously.
The minister said that NFSA provides uniform scale of ration at 5 kg per soul across the State excepting AAY category where 35 Kgs scale irrespective of soul strength is being maintained. He said that the Government of India will reimburse 75 per cent of the transportation cost and the states have to bear 25 per cent of it.
Highlighting the challenges of the Department, the minister said that the state is a consuming and not producing state. He said that there is a huge deficit of foodgrains that has to be met from outside the state.
“With the decrease in agricultural landholding and production, 90 per cent of the population in the state depends on Government Supplies,” he said, adding that department faces various challenges including poor transportation mechanism, poor loading at the FCI godowns, pilferage of food grains, poor road connectivity particularly in hilly and snow bound areas.
Recalling the Pre-NFSA scenario, the Minister said that State was provided ration on the basis of projected population of the year 2000, which left 1.70 lakh families uncovered. “Due to increase in population from 2001 to 2011, about 20 lakh souls had been added who were not covered under any Targeted Public Distribution System,” he said.
Giving credit to late Chief Minister, Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, for reaching out to the people at the grassroots level, the Minister said that the Launch of ‘Mufti Mohammad Sayeed Food Entitlement Scheme’ (MMSFES) is a visionary step of the current government. “With the implementation of MMSFES, the State shall be able to provide additional 5 kg of foodgrains per soul over and above the NFSA scale to BPL (PHH), PHH and NPHH bonafide rationees having family size from one to six subject to maximum of 35 kgs per family,” he said.
Later, the House passed the grants of CAPD Department, for the year 2016-17, which were moved by the Minister, amounting to Rs 769.48 crore with voice vote.
Earlier, the members, who moved the Cut Motions on the Grants, withdrew after the satisfactory reply from the Minister.