PANJIM: The National Food Security Act 2013 will be implemented in Goa from October this year, covering nearly 36 percent of the State’s population. Nearly 1.35 lakh beneficiaries of Dayanand Social Security Scheme (DSSS) and 46,000 Griha Aadhar beneficiaries will be entitled to avail of the benefits without providing additional documents.
Addressing the media on Tuesday, Civil Supplies Minister Dayanand Mandrekar said the beneficiaries would be 5.32 lakh. The last date for submission of applications for availing the benefit is June 30.
The department has considered 15 categories of eligible households for inclusion in the scheme. These include AAY, BPL, APL ration card holders, beneficiaries of Griha Aadhar, DSSS, households whose income is below Rs 50,000, hutment dwellers, occupants in resettlement and rehabilitation zones, slum dwellers, HIV patients, physically/mentally challenged household, orphans, single women with dependents, destitute persons and persons whose family members are employed as occupationally vulnerable group.
Mandrekar said the department has already identified nearly 1.35 lakh beneficiaries of DSSS and 46,000 Griha Aadhar beneficiaries with annual income less than Rs 50,000, who could avail of the National Food Security Card, to avail of the scheme, without providing additional documents. “They will just have to submit their beneficiary number to the taluka civil supplies inspectors, who are distributing the forms through respective fair price shops,” the minister said.
Also, in order to ease the procedure, the government has decided that beneficiaries can submit the income certificate issued by the panchayat rather than by the revenue department.
Mandrekar said that the National Food Security Card would be issued in the name of the female head of the family. The database would be then sent to the Central government for release of food quota.
The Central Act seeks to offer rice at Rs 3 per kg, wheat at Rs 2 per kg and coarse cereals at Rs 1 per kg to the intended beneficiaries.
