The government on Wednesday decided to upgrade the quality of rice distributed to over 80 crore people through ration shops by reducing the percentage of broken rice in the overall supplies.In a post on X, Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi informed that the Union Cabinet has decided to reduce the limit of broken rice supplied through ration shops.
For raw rice, the limit has been reduced to 10% from 25%.
For par-boiled rice, the percentage has been cut to 5% from 16%.Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Cabinet has taken a historic and transformative decision to further strengthen India’s food security architecture, Joshi said.
“For the first time in nearly three decades, the quality standards for rice distributed under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) have been upgraded,” he added.This will ensure better-quality food with dignity for over 80 crore beneficiaries, Joshi said.”Every eligible family will continue to receive the same entitlement under PMGKAY, now with significantly improved quality,” the minister asserted.Joshi said the “landmark reform reflects the government’s commitment to delivering superior quality, ensuring optimal utilisation of every grain, enhancing transparency through QR-based traceability, and improving efficiency through prudent cost rationalisation”.The government said it is using every grain procured from farmers efficiently.While the superior grade rice is supplied to beneficiaries through ration shops, the resultant broken rice is used for processing (manufacturing of ethanol) and also animal feed.The Centre procures wheat and rice from farmers at the minimum support price (MSP). Food Corporation of India is the nodal agency for procurement and distribution of foodgrains under the public distribution system (PDS). Under the National Food Security Law, the government distributes 5kg of foodgrains (rice and wheat) per person per month free of cost. Those covered under Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) category get 35 kg per month per family.
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