Tag: Food

Bengal ensures food security for all

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On Sunday, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee greeted all on the occasion of the World Food Day.

Bengal, under the able leadership of Mamata Banerjee, has been instrumental in providing food security to the people of the State, especially in Jangalmahal, tea gardens of north Bengal and Aila-affected areas of Sunderbans, people residing in the Hills, and tribal people.

Over 8 crore people in the State have been brought under food security scheme. Rice is made available at Rs 2/kg.

Thanks to the Khadya Sathi scheme, around 80 percent of the state’s nine crore people are benefiting. The scheme aims to ensure that people would receive 5 kg of food grain every month at Rs 2 per kg.

Storage capacity has increased from 62 lakhs metric tonnes to 5 crore 62 lakh metric tonnes in the last 5 years.

The government has ensured that children suffering from malnutrition, and their mothers, receive 5 kg rice, 1 kg masoor dal, 2.5 kg wheat (or flour) and 1 kg grams regularly.

 

বাংলায় খাদ্য সুরক্ষা নিশ্চিত করেছে রাজ্য সরকার

রবিবার, বিশ্ব খাদ্য দিবস উপলক্ষে সকলকে শুভেচ্ছা জানান মুখ্যমন্ত্রী মমতা বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়।

মাননীয়া মুখ্যমন্ত্রীর নেতৃত্বে বাংলায় খাদ্য নিরাপত্তা এখন সুনিশ্চিত করা সম্ভব হয়েছে। বিশেষত জঙ্গলমহল, উত্তরবঙ্গের চা বাগান এবং সুন্দরবনের আয়লা অধ্যুষিত এলাকাগুলিতে ও পাহাড়ে বসবাসকারী মানুষ এবং আদিবাসী জনজাতিভুক্ত পরিবারের খাদ্য নিরাপত্তা সুনিশ্চিত করেছে বর্তমান সরকার।

বর্তমানে রাজ্যের প্রায় ৮ কোটি মানুষকে খাদ্য সাথী প্রকল্পের আওতায় আনা হয়েছে, তারা সকলে ২ টাকা কেজি দরে চাল পাচ্ছেন।

খাদ্য সাথী প্রকল্পের মাধ্যমে রাজ্যের প্রায় ৮০ শতাংশ মানুষ উপকৃত হয়েছেন। এর মাধ্যমে তাদের প্রতি মাসে ২ টাকা কেজি দরে ৫ কেজি খাদ্যশস্য দেওয়া হচ্ছে।

গত ৫ বছরে মজুত ভাণ্ডারের ধারণ ক্ষমতা ৬২ লক্ষ মেট্রিক টন থেকে বাড়িয়ে ৫ কোটি ৬২ লক্ষ মেট্রিক টন করা হয়েছে।

যে সকল শিশুরা অপুষ্টিতে ভুগছে তাদের মায়েদের ৫ কেজি চাল, ১ কেজি মুসুর ডাল, ২.৫ কেজি গম এবং ১ কেজি ছোলা নিয়মিত দিচ্ছে রাজ্য সরকার।

 

 

Kanyashree beneficiaries to get nutritious food till the age of 18

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The state government has decided to bring in Kanyashree beneficiaries of six districts under another successful scheme for girls called ‘Sabla’. An idea has been mulled to let girl students get nutritional food even after Class VIII and, at the same time, get empowered by learning life and vocational skills.

It may be mentioned that at present mid-day meal is provided to all students between primary level and Class VIII. Hence, the state government had initiated a process so as to provide nutritional food to girl students, even after they complete Class VIII, till the age of 18.

Sabla is a scheme for adolescent girls in the age group of 11 to 18 years. The girls will simply need to visit the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and the anganwadi centres to get nutritional food.

In addition to getting nutritional food from schools in their mid-day meals till they pass Class VIII, the girls enrolled in the Sabla scheme will also get food with similar nutritional value from ICDS centres till the age of 18 years.

Minister of State for of Health and Family Welfare Dr Shashi Panja said initially the step will be taken in districts including Nadia, Malda, Kolkata, Cooch Behar, Purulia and Jalpaiguri.

 

RS Chairman admonishes CPM MP for “petty politics”, allows supplementary TMC Question

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While asking a supplementary question in the Rajya Sabha, Trinamool MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy today informed the House that almost 80 per cent of people in Bengal have been brought under the ambit of the public distribution system.

He also described how the people of Maoist-affected backward regions used to survive on ant eggs during the CPM rule in Bengal. He urged the Centre to increase allocations of food grains so that all the citizens of the State are covered under PDS.

Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari today admonished a CPM MP for “doing petty politics” over a question. “Why are you bringing your political battles inside the House” he said.

Seven crore people in Bengal to receive subsidised foodgrains

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Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal on Friday decided to start a new food security scheme to provide over three crore beneficiaries foodgrains at Rs 2 per kg, taking to seven crore the number of people getting subsidised food.

“Currently our government gives rice at Rs 2 per kg to 3.33 crore people in the state. We are starting a new scheme for food security from January 27.

“Three crore additional people will be included in this system and will get wheat and rice at Rs 2 per kg,” Banerjee said at the state secretariat Nabanna after a cabinet meeting.

She also said an additional 70 lakh people have filled up forms to get subsidised food and will be getting cereals at half the market price.

Altogether around seven crore people will be entitled to benefits of the state government’s food security schemes, she said.

The cabinet also adopted a rehabilitation package for tea garden workers in northern West Bengal as well as for people living in Jangalmahal – the Left Wing Extremism affected areas of the state.

WB Govt to set up 16000 rice procurement camps

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West Bengal Government will assign around 700 officials to supervise and organise rice procurement camps in several blocks of the State. Procurement will commence on November 20.

Last year the State government has procured 22 lakh metric tonnes of rice. This year around 16000 camps will be set up.

“We are deploying 900 civic volunteers who will help police during the rice procurement,” said Food & Supplies Minister Jyotipriya Mullick.

The State government has also urged the FCI to procure rice for the state.

 

WB Govt sets up six ration shops outside closed tea gardens

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The State Food Department has set up six ration shops outside the gates of five closed tea gardens, so that the tea garden workers, along with the people living in the fringe areas of those five closed tea gardens, can get the benefit of procuring ration from those shops.

State Food Minister Jyotipriya Mullick said in the Assembly lobby that these ration shops have been set up by the Food Department, each at a cost of Rs 6.24 lakh. The minister said that ration shops have been set up outside Red Bank, Surendranagar, Dekhlapara, Dalmore and Kathalguritea tea gardens, with two being set up outside Kathalguri.

The Minister alleged that during the Left Front tenure, tea garden managers were given charge of ration shops and “after we came to power we found out that these managers most of the time failed to distribute ration evenly among the closed tea garden workers, which led to starvation.”

The Minister further said that his department has chosen some efficient self-help groups to run these ration shops and that these groups are now effectively running the ration shops outside these closed tea gardens.

At present, 1.03 lakh workers, their family members and those living adjacent to these closed tea gardens are the beneficiaries of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s special package of rice at Rs 2 per kg. He said Rs 1,080 crore is being spent on the special package and a total of 3.28 lakh people are the beneficiaries of this package.

 

State Tourism Dept launches website on Bengali cuisine

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Not just places of interest, West Bengal Tourism Department will now tug at the gastronomic strings of tourists with a new website devoted solely to Bengali cuisine.

The recently-launched website is a powerhouse of information on Bengali cuisine, various recipes and also provides region-wise information of food available in the State. The ministry hopes this website will bring Bengali cuisine on the international culinary map.

Minister Bratya Basu said, “Tourists who are visiting Bengal will be encouraged by this website. They can now get any information on the food and culinary delights in any part of the State – be it Cooch Behar or Krishnagar”.

“Food is ingrained in Bengali culture. Promoting Bengali cuisine is a great way to promote tourism,” he added.

Experts in the field feel this move will go a long way in boosting tourism in Bengal and boost the restaurant and hospitality infrastructure in the State. Themes like ‘street food walk’ will also be more popular.

 

Click here to view the website.

Food Security scheme to be implemented all over Bengal by August 2015

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The West Bengal Government is taking initiative to start Food Security schemes all over the State by the coming August. The new schemes have already been implemented South Dinajpur in April and Coochbehar in May.

This month, Uttar Dinajpur will be brought under this scheme and by July, it will be implemented in Nadia, Maldah, Jalpaiguri, Howrah and Hooghly.

Through this scheme, around 6.01 crore people in the State, below poverty line, will get rice at Rs 2/kg.

Incidentally, the West Bengal Government now pay subsidy to provide rice at Rs 2/kg to 3.28 crore people in the State.

Since, the scheme will be operated through ration shops, those will be also under strict vigil and will not be able to do any illegal selling of stocks.

The State Government had made a survey last year and the names of the beneficiaries are being listed according to the survey report. The State Government will also provide digital ration cards to the people who will be under this scheme.

The names of the people enlisted under this scheme are also being put up in the website of the state Food Department for transparency.

WB Govt to open ‘Roudra Brishti’ outlets across the State

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In 2014, West Bengal Essential Commodities Supply Corporation (WBECSC), under the state food and supplies department, had launched its own retail chain of commodities, to promote exclusive products of the state in agriculture and food sector, with a distribution outlet in Kolkata called ‘Roudra Brishti’.

The government is now planning to take ‘Roudra Brishti’ outlets to the districts so that people of the entire State can benefit. The state food and supplies department had called for tenders from various municipalities in the State and got a fabulous response. Several municipalities like Coochbehar, Jalpaiguri, Suri, Nabadwip, Barasat, Madhyamgram have expressed interest.

At these outlets while consumers will get branded commodities at discounted prices, producers of agricultural products will also get a fair price. Currently, average daily transactions at ‘Roudra Brishti’ outlets is worth Rs 50000. They register monthly profit of Rs 10-12000 as per the minister.

Food and Supplies Minister Jyotipriyo Mullick said, “We did not set up ‘Roudra Brishti’ with profit in mind. Our aim is to provide goods to people at a fair price. We are glad these outlets are making profits.”

Bengal Govt expands PDS, rolls out digitised ration cards

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West Bengal under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee is giving highly subsidised food grains to more than 3 crore people. West Bengal Government intends to cover more than 6 crore people with subsidised food grains among the 9.13 crore population of the State.

The public distribution system has been thoroughly overhauled through massive e-Governance measures. Bar coded or quick response digital ration cards are being used to all eligible beneficiaries.  More than 7.8 crore ration cards have been digitised.

West Bengal Government has started distribution of such digital ration cards in Dakshin Dinajpur and other distribution will be started in other districts too.

She also posted about the exapansion of PDS on twitter: