Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has announced the extension of its free rice distribution scheme until December 2028.
This decision follows the Union Cabinet’s approval to continue the supply of free fortified rice under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) from July 2024 to December 2028.
Food Suppliers Minister Krushna Chandra Patra thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the development.
Odisha government will also extend the supply of free fortified rice under its own scheme. He further informed that E-KYC verification process of ration cards is currently going on in the State.
“Around 2.30 crore E-KYC verification has been completed so far. Around one crore E-KYC verification is still to be made and it will be completed within 15-20 days. After the completion of the process, new ration cards will be issued,” said Minister Patra.
Earlier, Patra had informed that E-KYC verification process will not be stopped until the last applicant is verified.
“After the completion of the E-KYC process, the number of false cards will be known. Then we will omit them and provide ration cards to eligible beneficiaries,” Patra had said.
