AMN / NEW DELHI
The Centre has written to State Governments and UTs to include all eligible disabled persons under the National Food Security Act, NFSA 2013.
The Department of Food and Public Distribution has advised all States and UTs to ensure that all disabled persons, who are eligible as per identification criteria of beneficiaries under NFSA, are covered under the National Food Security Act and they get their entitled quota of food grains under NFSA and Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana as per provisions of the Act.
Those not covered should be covered with fresh ration cards to be issued as per the eligibility criteria. The Department reiterated that disability is one of the criteria for inclusion of beneficiaries under Antyodaya Anna Yojana households as disabled persons are a vulnerable section of the society. The letter further advised that it is imperative that they are also covered by States and UTs under the priority households as per the criteria of identification evolved by them.
The Atma Nirbhar Bharat Package of the Government of India is for the persons, who are not covered either under NFSA or any States Scheme PDS Cards. The disabled persons without ration cards are also eligible for getting benefits under Atma Nirbhar Bharat package. Since this scheme would lapse on 31st of this month, and there is still one week left for this, the Department requested all States and UTs, that they may identify such disabled persons who do not have ration cards and provide them benefits under Atma Nirbhar Bharat Package.
The letter also mentioned that the scheme started in May this year and it was presumed that all eligible beneficiaries without ration cards including the disabled persons should have been covered. The Department said, it is understood that the ration lifted so far has been utilized by the States for distributing to eligible beneficiaries without ration cards. It requested States to undertake proactive steps in this regard.