Centre allocates 8 LMT foodgrains to all States/UTs under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Scheme (ANBS)

The Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today informed that in pursuance to the economic measures announced by the Government under the ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat Package’ in May 2020, the Department had allocated 8 LMT foodgrains to all States/UTs under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Scheme (ANBS) for free of cost distribution to the migrants/stranded migrant persons and those neither covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) nor under any State PDS scheme, at the scale of 5 kg per person per month for a period of 2 months of May and June 2020. All States/UTs had collectively estimated a total of about 2.8 Crore such needy persons and had lifted a total of about 6.4 LMT foodgrains from the FCI Depots/Central Stocks. Further, States/UTs (including Tamil Nadu) reported a total distribution of about 2.74 LMT foodgrains, covering about 2.74 Crore persons in the country, for the period of two months of May and June 2020. State/UT wise total quantity of foodgrains distributed under the ANBS is at Annexure-I.

            The balance undistributed foodgrains of ANBS available with States/UTs were subsequently adjusted/subsumed under the regular monthly NFSA lifting and distribution of the States/UTs. A statement showing State/UT wise quantity of such undistributed/adjusted foodgrains is at Annexure-II.

            Under the ANBS, free of cost foodgrains were distributed to all migrants / stranded migrants and those without ration cards, that is, neither covered under NFSA nor under any other State PDS scheme and the States/UTs were given the responsibility of identifying eligible needy persons in the respective jurisdictions.

            No Sir. Nearly 2.74 crore out of the estimated 2.8 crore migrants/ stranded migrant persons (about 98%) were provided free of cost foodgrain under the ANBS.

*****

Annexure-I

State/UT wise statement showing total quantity of foodgrains distributed under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Scheme (ANBS), including Tamil Nadu:

*****

Annexure-II

State/UT wise statement showing undistributed ANBS foodgrains adjusted with subsequent NFSA distribution:

****

DJN/AM/NS