The allocation for food subsidy has been increased to Rs 1.45 lakh crore next fiscal from Rs 1.3 lakh crore this year to provide for the new food law, which has been rolled out in the entire country, Food minister Ram Vilas Paswan said today.
"NFSA has been implemented in the entire country in the current financial Year. Accordingly, the allocation for food subsidy for the financial Year 2017-18 has been increased to Rs 1,45,138.60 crore, which was Rs 1,30,334.61 crore in the Financial Year 2016-17," Paswan said in an official statement.
He said that the Centre has been persuading the states for adopting the decentralised procurement scheme as a result of which 17 states have adopted the DCP system.
"The budgetary provision for DCP States has been increased to Rs 38,000 crore in the financial Year 2017-18 which was Rs 30,672.96 crore in the present year," Paswan said.
Stating that the FCI has started online procurement and many states have also implemented it, he said this has created a positive impact on farmers who are now receiving payments directly in their accounts, transparently.
Paswan congratulated Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for presenting a historic Budget for the year 2017-18 and also deliberating upon the initiatives taken by the government for taming price rise in his Budgetary Speech.
"As a result, the government has been able to control inflation and the CPI based inflation has been reduced to 3.4 per cent in December 2016 from a level of 6 per cent in July, 2016," Paswan said.
He elaborated on the PDS Reforms being undertaken across the country in the implementation of the NFSA.
Paswan hoped that by March-end majority of the States will have cashless arrangements for distribution of foodgrains, while all the 5.27 lakh ration shops will be computerised and beneficiaries will be identified based on Aadhar by June-end.
Most importantly, all these shops will have cashless system in place.
"This will ensure direct and transparent benefit to 81 crore beneficiaries. Central Government is assisting States in computerisation of FPS shops. The allocation of margin money for FPS operators has been increased to Rs 4500 crore in the financial Year 2017-18, which was Rs 2500 crore in the present year," the statement said.
On creation of 20 lakh tonnes of buffer stock, Paswan said the Budget Estimate of Rs 900 crore has been revised to Rs 3,400 crore to achieve the same. This move has also benefited lakhs of farmers in the country.
The total budgetary allocation for Consumer Affairs Department is Rs 3,727 crore out of which the allocation for PSF (Price Stability Fund) alone is Rs 3500 crore.
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