Odisha, Ramesh differ on TDPS allocation under new FSB-2013

Allaying the state government's fear that Odisha's quota of rice under the new Food Security Bill-2013 would decline by 12,000 tonnes, Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh has claimed that the allocation would rather go up by 32,000 tonnes.
"I am afraid you are completely mistaken", Ramesh said in a letter to state Food and Supplies Minister P K Deb sent today.
Stating that Odisha's average annual off take of food grains under the TPDS has been 20.77 lakh tonnes since 2010, Ramesh said it would rise to 21.09 lakh tonnes under the new National Food Security Bill, 2013.
Ramesh said Odisha's offtake of food grains has been 92.4 per cent, 97.1 per cent and 96.6 per cent respectively in 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13.

"The average annual offtake is under normal TPDS which consists of BPL, APL and AAY, as you are aware, is based on norms and is not an adhoc allocation, he pointed out.
The Union Minister during his one day visit to the state last week had said that Odisha's food grain quota would increase which was rejected by Deb immediately.

Deb, on the other hand, alleged that the Union Minister was trying to mislead the people while highlighting the FSB-2013.
Earlier, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik also said that with the implementation of the FS Bill, the overall rice allotment to the state would go down from 1.82 lakh tonnes to 1.70 lakh tonnes.

The new bill will have a provision of five kg of food grain per beneficiary every month whereas presently 25 kg of rice is provided per month to a family, Patnaik had maintained adding that the small families would be hit if FS Bill is implemented.