Ration card holders in Odisha to get wheat from October 2024

Ration card holders in Odisha will now receive wheat along with rice starting from October this year. The Central Government has communicated this decision to nine states, including Odisha, through an official letter.

The letter mentions that a committee of ministers has revised the wheat-rice distribution ratio, increasing the wheat allocation by 35 LMT. As a result, the distribution of wheat and rice under the NFSA and PMGKAY schemes has been adjusted in nine states: Bihar, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.

Importantly, there will be no changes to the cost-sharing arrangements, including food subsidies, intra-state transportation, and dealer margins.

Previously, the Odisha government had requested the Centre to allocate wheat in place of 20% of the rice quota under food security schemes. The previous BJD government had halted wheat distribution after seeking additional rice from the Centre under these programs.