Odisha News: Bhubaneswar, (Reporterspen), Nov 7: The Odisha government has announced plans to provide wheat alongside rice to ration card holders under food security schemes starting January 2025. Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra confirmed the development on Thursday, stating that the state has already received the wheat required for this initiative. Ration card holders will receive both wheat and rice from the first week of January, after completing necessary procedural formalities.
The Minister explained that data is being collected to determine the specific wheat requirements of beneficiaries in different districts. While some beneficiaries require both wheat and rice, others only need rice through the Public Distribution System (PDS). Based on this data, the government will issue a tender to fulfill the demand and begin distribution.
However, the process will take some time as the e-KYC verification work is still ongoing. Currently, around 85% of the e-KYC process is complete, and more than 16 lakh ineligible beneficiaries have been identified. The work is expected to be completed in the next 15 days.
This decision to include wheat along with rice in the ration distribution follows the state’s commitment after BJP came to power.
