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Delhi

Wooing the poor: Delhi cabinet approves Food Security Scheme

The Delhi cabinet on Thursday gave its in principle approval to the formal launch of the Food Security Scheme on 20 August, the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
The scheme will be launched by Congress president Sonia Gandhi and all eligible residents of the capital would be able to avail the benefits under this scheme from 1 September.

The cabinet meeting was chaired by chief minister Sheila Dikshit. ‘It is expected that the details would be made public in a day or two in a press conference,’ Dikshit said.
The government plans to provide the benefit under the scheme to 5.10 lakh families in the first phase and the entitled foodgrain will be given to the beneficiary families through their senior most female members.

Dikshit has also appointed a committee under the chairmanship of Food and Supplies Minister Haroon Yusuf to oversee the preparations.
In the first phase, all BPL families, Above Poverty Line (APL) card holders and Jhughi Ration Card (JRC) holders and beneficiaries under Antodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) will be included.

The city government has also decided to include homeless people, daily wage-earners, rag-pickers, people living in resettlement colonies and slum clusters in the first phase of implementation of the scheme.

No income tax payers, vehicle and house owners will be included under the scheme in the first
phase, officials said, adding that the second and final phase of implementation of the scheme will be
launched in February
next year.

They said the beneficiaries of Annashree Yojna, who are getting a monthly cash subsidy of Rs 600, are likely to be kept out in the first phase.
Under the National Food Security Act, 2013 the centre has decided to provide rice at the rate of Rs 3 per kg, wheat at Rs 2 per kg and millets at Rs 1 per kg to the people below poverty line.

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