Odisha’s Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik, recently declared the continuation of the State Food Security Scheme for another five years, aiming to support approximately 10 lakh individuals previously excluded from the central scheme under the National Food Security Act (NFSA). This announcement closely follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pledge to extend the Centre’s free foodgrains initiative for an additional five years.
The extended scheme will entail an extra financial commitment of Rs 1,250 crore for the state. A senior government official emphasized that nearly 9.9 lakh beneficiaries from 3.14 lakh households would persistently receive 5 kg of complimentary rice each month. The chief minister’s directive underscores the state’s commitment to ensuring that no impoverished individual in Odisha remains rice-deprived.
This timely announcement, preceding both the general and Assembly elections, carries significant political implications. Historically, the subsidised rice scheme, initiated by the Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal in 2008 at Rs 2 per kg, has been pivotal in influencing electoral outcomes.
Despite speculations regarding the potential discontinuation of the affordable rice scheme, Patnaik not only sustained the initiative but also enhanced its benefits, reducing the cost to Re 1 per kg in 2013. This strategic move, coupled with subsequent implementations, fortified the BJD’s electoral performance even amidst national political shifts.
Since the inception of the centrally sponsored NFSA in 2014, Patnaik highlighted the exclusion of approximately 25 lakh eligible individuals due to the Centre’s population cap for Odisha’s inclusion. Responding proactively, Patnaik’s government launched a distinct food security scheme in 2018, extending subsidised rice benefits to those previously overlooked by the NFSA. The state shoulders the entire financial responsibility of this initiative, encompassing nearly 10 lakh beneficiaries to date.
In alignment with the Modi administration’s free foodgrains announcement under the NFSA, Patnaik recently reiterated his commitment to providing complimentary rice to the state scheme’s recipients.
