Question : Nutritious Food to Backward Tribal areas

(a) whether any scheme meant for providing nutritious food to the backward and tribal areas is being implemented by the Government and if so, the details thereof;

(b) whether the said scheme run by the Government is being implemented in Madhya Pradesh and if so, the details of the districts in Madhya Pradesh where this scheme is being implemented;

(c) if not, whether it is likely to be implemented in Madhya Pradesh in the near future and if so, the details thereof; and

(d) the details of the number of beneficiaries benefitted from the scheme during the last three years?

A N S W E R
MINISTER OF STATE FOR MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
(SADHVI NIRANJAN JYOTI)

(a) to (d): The National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 provides for coverage of upto 75% of rural population and upto 50% of urban population for receiving highly subsidized foodgrains. The Coverage under the Act is substantially high to ensure that all the vulnerable and needy sections of the society get its benefit. Coverage under the Act is under two categories- households covered under Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) to the extent specified by the Central Government and the remaining households as Priority Households. There is no specific provision under the Act for backward and tribal areas. Under the Act, while Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households, which constitute poorest of the poor are entitled to 35 kg of foodgrains per family per month, priority households are entitled to 5 kg of foodgrains per person per month at uniform subsidized prices of Rs. 3/2/1 per kg for rice/wheat/coarse grains respectively. The Act also contains provisions for nutritional support to pregnant women and lactating mothers and children upto 14 years of age. NFSA is implemented in all the States/UTs, including Madhya Pradesh, covering about 79.72 crore persons.
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Further, this Department also administers ‘Welfare Institutions and Hostels Scheme’. Under the scheme, foodgrains (wheat and rice) are allocated at BPL rates to States/UTs on the basis of requests received from them, to meet the requirement of Government owned and aided/sponsored welfare institutions and of all the students of Government owned and aided/sponsored hostels having 2/3rd residents belonging to SC/ST/OBC category.

Under the Centrally Sponsored Pilot Scheme on "Fortification of Rice and its Distribution under Public Distribution System", Madhya Pradesh Govt. has so far distributed 12,318 MTs of fortified rice in Singrauli district.
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