State ready to implement food security

***Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sangma briefing reporters after the cabinet meeting on Thursday. Also seen are Urban affairs minister Ampareen Lyngdoh(left) and home minister Roshan Warjri(left)***

SHILLONG, JUNE 18: Meghalaya government on Thursday said that it will soon implement the National Food Security Act, 2013 after the process of identifying the beneficiaries is completed in the state.

“We have completed the process of inclusion and exclusion of beneficiaries based on parameters captured by the socio-economic census,” Sangma told reporters after a cabinet meeting on Thursday.

He said, “We will be sending it (list of beneficiaries) to the central government and await for the time to implement this programme under the National Food Security Act, 2013.”

Under the NFSA, Meghalaya is entitle to extended this benefit to 77.79 per cent in to rural population and 50.87 per cent to the urban population.

According to him, this ambitious programme aims at ensuring access to affordable and adequate quantity to food grains and to address the issue of nutritional requirement of the people particularly the poor section of the population of the nation.

He said that as far as Meghalaya is concerned, the state government wanted to do this programme in a very transparent manner as it does not cover the whole population.

“In rural areas, it covers only 77.79 per cent and for urban it covers only 50.87 per cent and therefore there is a need for the state government to ensure effective and practical approach in identifying the beneficiaries while including the targeted beneficiaries and excluding those who will not be part of this programme,” he said.

He added that to ensure that the state government has decided to utilize the latest socio economic census for the state population.

He informed that from this population the chaffing was done till the percentage prescribed for rural areas and that percentage prescribed for urban areas were identified.

Sangma said that as the exercise has been completed now the state government is ready to implement this programme and ensure that the benefit of this very ambitious programme of the erstwhile UPA government is now implemented and benefits the targeted population.”

The chief minister informed that under this project the beneficiaries will be entitled to have access to rice at Rs 3 and 5 kg per head.- By Our Reporter