Thiruvananthapuram: Civil supplies minister P. Thilothaman has told the assembly that the state government has already published a schedule for implementation of National Food Security Act (NFSA). Replying to a submission by Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala on Wednesday, he said this was forwarded to the Centre and Union food minister Ram Vilas Paswan had agreed to it. Mr Thilothaman said that state had also sought six months' time for implementing NFSA, which was also agreed.
However, during the time of Onam, the centre stopped supplying rice to APL category for non-implementation of the NFSA, he said. This month, the centre informed that it would not provide rice to APL category. Following this, the government had to start implementing the NFSA from November.
As per the schedule, the final list of beneficiaries would be ready by January 2017 and the distribution of new ration cards would begin on February 1, and complete by March 15, 2017. When the Act is in force the number of priority cardholders will be 28.37 lakh and Adhoyataya Anna Yojana beneficiaries 5.5 lakh, he said.
