Guwahati, Dec 15 (IANS) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday kickstarted the first phase of distributing new ration cards under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) across 49 new legislative Assembly constituencies in the state.
At an event held at the Sarusajai Sports Complex in Guwahati, the CM distributed ration cards to 14,328 beneficiaries from 4,535 families in the Guwahati Central assembly seat and to 16,411 beneficiaries from 4,759 families in the Jalukbari constituency.
Sarma highlighted the steadfast commitment of the current State government to ensuring that the needy have regular access to rice.
He noted that the NFSA was implemented in Assam in December 2015, with the aim of safeguarding the nutritional needs of approximately 2.51 crore beneficiaries. He emphasised that 85 per cent of rural residents and 60 per cent of urban inhabitants should be entitled to ration cards.
Sarma said that following the linking of ration cards with Aadhaar, an additional 60 lakh cards have been issued, thus facilitating the distribution of free rice via biometric verification.
He commended the successful implementation of the “One Nation, One Ration Card” scheme, which has been in place for the past three years, allowing beneficiaries to access provisions from anywhere in the country.
The Chief Minister clarified that ration cards must be collected between the 1st and 10th of each month, and reassured the public that no fraudulent claims would be entertained, as the government has made substantial efforts to ensure that deserving families receive their entitlements
CM Sarma stated that in the 2023-24 fiscal year, 42,85,745 new beneficiaries have been included, with 10,73,489 new families receiving ration cards in January alone, benefitting more than 52 lakh people.
He explained that the state Cabinet had made a decision to issue 20 lakh new ration cards, which were distributed equitably across constituencies to ensure no one was excluded.
He added that starting today, seven lakh individuals in 49 constituencies would receive new ration cards, thereby securing 35 lakh kilograms of rice for the needy.
Moreover, Sarma noted that 19,92,167 individuals would receive their ration cards within the month across the remaining 76 constituencies.
The Chief Minister also said that families holding ration cards would be eligible for free medical treatment up to Rs five lakh at government hospitals under the Ayushman Bharat and Ayushman Assam schemes.
He further stated: “Even those without health cards could access healthcare by simply presenting their ration cards at hospitals. Additionally, ration cardholders would be able to access cooking gas through the Ujjwala scheme. The state government has taken steps to select beneficiaries for the Orunodoi scheme through a selection process, which will run until December 28.”
Meanwhile, Sarma mentioned that to prevent fraudulent claims, the Orunodoi scheme would be linked with ration cards.
–IANS
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