Bhubaneswar: Chairperson of Odisha State Food Commission P.K. Merkap today said that Odisha was the first state to constitute the State Food Commission after the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 came into force.
Merkap was speaking to the press regarding various provisions of National Food Security Act, 2013 and Odisha State Food Security Rules, 2020 under Targeted Public Distribution System (TDPS), which are of paramount importance to all the beneficiaries of our State.
NFSA provides for food and nutritional security in human life cycle approach, by ensuring access to adequate quantity of nutritious food at affordable prices to people to live a life with dignity and for matters connected therewith or inciden section 16 of this Act, every State Government shall, by notification, constitute a State Food Commission for the purpose of monitoring, review and implementation of this Act. In view of the above provisions, Govern commission and accordingly the Department of Food Supplies & Consumer Welfare issued Notification No. 5725 on 15th March, 2016 and Odisha State Food Commission was constituted.
The Odisha State Food Commission is given a mandate to monitor and evaluate the implementation of three major schemes under National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 in the State.
These three Schemes are ration cardholders beneficiaries Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP) and Mid-Day-Meal (MDM).
Merkap said that efforts have been initiated at various levels by the Commission to make wide scale publication of this rules which are available in official websites of Food Commission and in all district offices. In regular monthly meetings with district officials, advice is being given to strictly comply the provision of the rules for the benefits of the people.
