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Praising the decision of the union cabinet to continue the supply of free fortified rice to around 80 crore Indians, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that such a decision would help tackle anemia and deficiency of nutrients.
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the continuation of free fortified rice till December 2028 under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKAY) in its present form from July 2024 and upto December 2028. In a post on X, Home Minister Shah said that the scheme will benefit 80 crore people, with Rs 17,082 crore being allocated to the scheme. "Modi ji has shown the resolve of welfare of the poor and Antyodaya by realizing it on the ground. Today, the Union Cabinet approved the continuation of supply of free fortified rice till December 2028 under PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana and other welfare schemes. Rs 80 crore citizens of the country will benefit from this scheme of Rs 17,082 crore. This will prevent the problem of anemia and improve the deficiency of nutrients," read the post. https://x.com/AmitShah/status/1844006097239302640 Earlier, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had briefed reporters about the union cabinet decision and said the initiative will continue as a central sector initiative with 100 per cent funding by the Centre as part of PMGKAY (Food Subsidy), providing a unified institutional mechanism for implementation. The initiative "Supply of fortified rice throughout the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), Other Welfare Schemes, Integrated Child Development Service (ICDS), PM POSHAN (Erstwhile MDM) in all States and Union Territories (UTs)" was taken up to address anaemia and micronutrients deficiency in the country in line with PM Modi's thrust on the necessity of nutritional security in the country. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), in April 2022, decided to implement the Rice fortification initiative throughout the country in a phased manner by March 2024. All three phases have been successfully completed and the target of universal coverage to supply fortified rice in all schemes of the Government was achieved by March 2024. According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) conducted between 2019 and 2021, anaemia remains a widespread issue in India, affecting children, women, and men across various age groups and income levels. Besides iron deficiency, other vitamin and mineral deficiencies, such as Vitamin B12 and folic acid, also persist, impacting the overall health and productivity of the population. Food fortification has been used globally as a safe and effective measure to address anaemia and micronutrient malnutrition in the vulnerable population. (ANI)
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