TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: The State population to be covered under the PDS scheme, which has already fallen by around 63% will drop further by another 25,000 odd people, according to the final figure released by the Union government.
The State received a jolt, after the Centre issued a circular on July 5 saying that only around 5.57 lakh of the State’s population would be covered from 2014 compared to the 14 lakh population covered till date. This figure included the poorest of the poor section of society that come under the AAI or Antodaya scheme amounting to around 60,000 persons or 14,000 families and the balance 4,97,000 would have to be identified by the State. But now the latest figures show that this has been reduced by another 25,000 or just around 36.5% of the population.
According to the Food Security ordinance, at least 67% of the people had to be covered under the scheme. The State would have ended up losing some 35,000 tonnes of grains compared to the around 65,000 tonnes of rice and wheat combined, according to July 5 figures. But now it will lose another 5kg per person which is given to 25,000 persons works out to 125 tonnes.
Families coming under AAI are entitled to 35 kgs of rice and wheat (combined) at Rs 3 per kg for rice and Rs 2 for wheat.
However, the State has written to the Centre Monday saying that the calculation by the Union Food ministry is not as per the Food Security ordinance; but has been calculated as per the census.
The government stand is that according to the ordinance definition, rural population should be the number of people residing outside municipal limits ~ that comes to around 10 lakh.
However, this has not been taken into consideration by the Centre, officials feel and this has been conveyed to the authorities.
Also on clusters, according to the census, the State has 44 clusters, but according to the State there are only 14 such clusters and that the calculations are not made state specific but based on a national average.
Hence this has resulted in the ordinance helping bigger states such as UP with 76% coverage; Bihar with 85% coverage and even the capital Delhi with 42% coverage, faring better than Goa.
