NEW DELHI, August 25: The Secretary of the central government Department of Food and Public Distribution under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution has sent letters to Chief Secretaries of all States and Union Territories requesting them to ensure that all eligible disabled persons are included under the National Food Security Act, 2013, an official spokesman said.
The Chief Secretaries have been requested to personally intervene in the matter and direct the concerned Departments/officials and especially District Administrations to ensure that appropriate mechanism is put in place and whole machinery mobilised in mission mode for compliance of directions made by the Department of Food and Public Distribution to States Governments/UTs through its letter dated August 22.
Directions were issued to States/UTs vide letter dated August 22 in which the Department of Food & Public Distribution advised all States/UTs to ensure that all disabled persons, who are eligible as per identification criteria of beneficiaries under NFSA, are covered under the National Food Security Act 2013 and they get their entitled quota of food grains under NFSA & PMGKAY as per provisions of the Act.
It was also stated in the letter that those not already covered should be covered with fresh ration cards to be issued as per the eligibility criteria. The letter further advised that it is imperative that they are also covered by States/UTs under the priority households as per the criteria of identification evolved by them, the spokesman said.
(Manas Dasgupta)
