Orissa to provide 25 kg rice to BPL families at Rs 2 per kg every month

At a high-level meeting chaired by the Chief Minister on Monday it was decided that the sops would be effective from August 1, 2008. The total number of beneficiaries will be in excess of 55 lakh, including 44 lakh BPL families, 5.5 lakh urban-poor families and over five lakh families living Above the Poverty Line (APL) in the backward Kalahandi, Bolangir and Koraput (KBK) region. Beneficiaries of Antyodaya scheme, who get 35 kg rice every month at Rs 3 per kg, would also be provided 25 kg of rice out of their quota at Rs 2 per kg. All tribal hostels will also be given rice at Rs 2 per kg.

“We hope this decision will provide relief to all BPL families which are severely affected by high price rise,” Patnaik told the media after the meeting.

In April this year, Naveen had announced a series of sops for field-level forest officials by extending insurance cover to those deployed in the Naxalite-infested regions. Field-level forest officials would also be eligible for the benefits on par with police personnel such as compassionate grant in case of death or injury, special pension and special family pensions.