Odisha govt extends State Food Security Scheme till 2028

Bhubaneswar, Dec 15 (PTI) The Odisha government on Friday announced that the State Food Security Scheme (SFSS) will be extended by five more years till December 31, 2028.

The proposal in this regard was approved by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. The beneficiaries of the SFSS were entitled to get 5 kg of rice free of cost and its tenure was till December 31, 2023.

An official statement issued by the CMO said that the state government will spend Rs 1,250 crore from its own resources in five years at the rate of Rs 250 crore per year.

A total of 9,97,055 people from 3,14,923 families in the state are covered under the State Food Security Scheme. They are getting 5 kg of rice per month for free.

“By extending the duration of the scheme for another 5 years, these beneficiaries will get this benefit from January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2028,” it said.

The release said that the chief minister has given strict instructions to ensure that no poor person in the state is deprived of food security. The state government had launched its own SFSS after many families were left out of the NFSA, an official said.