Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday extended greetings to the people of the state on the occasion of World Food Day and reaffirmed her government’s commitment to ensuring food security for every citizen.
“Heartfelt greetings to all on World Food Day! Ensuring food security for every person in the state is the primary goal of our government. To achieve this goal, we have taken many groundbreaking steps since 2011,” Banerjee said in a post on her X handle.
She highlighted the state’s flagship ‘Khadya Sathi’ scheme, which provides free ration to nearly nine crore people in Bengal. “Special food packages have also been extended to around 54 lakh people, including residents of Jungle Mahal, families affected by Cyclone Aila, the Toto tribe, and tea garden workers,” she said.
Banerjee added that during major festivals like Durga Puja, Kali Puja, Chhath Puja and Ramadan, the state provides essential items at subsidised prices to economically weaker families.
Referring to the ‘Maa’ project, she said poor people are served lunch at just Rs 5. “Through 356 ‘Maa Canteens,’ 8.58 crore poor people have benefited,” she said.
The Chief Minister further informed that under the ‘Khadyasathi’ initiative, the state government has directly procured a record 56.33 lakh metric tonnes of paddy from 16.50 lakh farmers this year. She said farmers have received fair prices for their produce, with payments made directly to their bank accounts.
Banerjee also mentioned that through 745 ‘Sufal Bangla’ outlets, people are getting vegetables and fruits at prices lower than the market rate.
“Now, fish is also being sold at affordable prices through these outlets, and their numbers are being significantly increased for public convenience,” she added.