PLO families to get cheap rice till November 30 in Odisha

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today directed food supplies and consumer welfare department to continue supply of cheap rice to poor families left out from BPL list till November 30.
As many as 6,23,426 poor families, who were deprived of BPL cards in 1997 and identified as poor left outs (PLO), had been provided with rice at the rate of Re one per kg in the state since 2008, officials said.
Over six lakh PLO families in 19 districts have now been included in the list of beneficiaries for National Food Security Act, which will be implemented in two phases from November 1.

The NFSA would be implemented from December 1 in the second phase, they said.
As there is possibility of PLO families being denied cheap rice between the implementation of NFSA in their districts, Patnaik gave the direction, an official said.
The state government has to bear an additional expenditure of Rs 35 crore for providing cheap rice for over six lakh PLO families, he said.
A total of 3.26 crore people of the state's total population of 4.11 crore have been identified as the beneficiaries under NFSA.