Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today said her government was fast "gearing up" for rolling out the food security scheme in the city on August 20 and families to be covered under the ambitious programme will be given a specific card for their proper identification and to ensure that food grains reach the intended beneficiaries.
The Chief Minister said 5.10 lakh families in the city will be provided food grains under the scheme in the first phase and the entitled food grain will be given to the beneficiary families through their senior most female members with an aim to empower women.
"Our government is gearing up to launch the Food Security Scheme on August 20. We are working hard to ensure successful implementation of the scheme to ensure a hunger-free Delhi.
"The cards would help in ensuring that food grains reach the actual beneficiaries," Dikshit said at a workshop for resident welfare associations in east Delhi.
Dikshit was addressing a workshop of Resident Welfare Associations.
She said though the scheme would be launched in the city on August 20, the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, the food grain distribution chain will be fully activated from September 1.
Considering potential of the populist scheme in the Assembly elections slated for November, Dikshit last week had announced that Delhi will be the first state in the country to launch the scheme, dubbed by the Congress as "game changer" in the Lok Sabha polls next year.
Yesterday, Congress president Sonia Gandhi had asked party-ruled state governments to implement the scheme in "letter and spirit".
"We will provide food grains to 5.10 lakh families in the first phase which will mean coverage of around 32 lakh people under the scheme. The scheme would go a long way in overcoming malnutrition and poverty.
"We will give the entitlement to senior most female member of the beneficiary families in order to further empower women in the Capital city," the Chief Minister said.
Dikshit has already ordered all concerned agencies and departments to complete the ground work for roll out of the scheme and appointed a committee under chairmanship of Food and Supply Minister Harun Yusuf to oversee the preparations.
The scheme would go a long way in overcoming malnutrition and poverty. The benefit would be given through the senior most female member of the family in order to further empower women in the Capital city, she said.
The city government would side-by-side include more families under the ambit of Food Security.
