Bhubaneswar, (Reporterspen), Sept 27: (Odisha ration) Starting in October, ration card holders in Odisha will receive wheat alongside rice, following a revision of the wheat-rice ratio by the Central Government, which has increased the wheat allocation by 35 lakh metric tons (LMT). The Centre communicated this decision to nine states, including Odisha.
According to the announcement, “A committee of ministers has decided to revise the wheat-rice ratio and increase the allocation of wheat by 35 LMT.” The states affected by this revision include Bihar, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. The letter also noted that there would be no changes to cost-sharing related to this distribution, which includes food subsidies, intra-state transportation, and dealer’s margins.
In August, the Odisha government had requested an increase in the wheat quota to 20% of the total foodgrains supplied under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), following a previous reduction that favored rice due to the state’s consumption preferences. Approximately 3.26 crore people in Odisha are beneficiaries under the NFSA, receiving five kilograms of free rice or wheat each month.
