Rajasthan govt adds 1 crore beneficiaries to food security net after ‘give up’ campaign

Jaipur, July 22 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Rajasthan government has expanded food security coverage to more than 1 crore (10 million) eligible beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), with officials attributing the achievement to the state’s ‘Give Up’ campaign, under which financially capable beneficiaries voluntarily surrendered their ration entitlements.

Food and Civil Supplies Minister Sumit Godara said 10,056,511 new eligible individuals have been brought under the food security umbrella after nearly 93.5 lakh financially well‑off beneficiaries voluntarily gave up their NFSA benefits.

Godara met Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma on Wednesday and thanked him for the initiative, saying the campaign had enabled the government to extend food security to deserving families that had previously remained outside the scheme.

He said Rajasthan has a fixed ceiling of around 4.46 crore beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act, based on population norms. As the quota had already been exhausted, many eligible families were unable to avail themselves of the benefits.

To address the issue, the state government launched the ‘Give Up’ campaign on November 1, 2024, encouraging financially capable beneficiaries to voluntarily surrender their food security benefits.

After nearly three months, the NFSA portal was reopened on January 26, 2025, allowing eligible families to apply for inclusion in the scheme. According to the minister, 87.6 lakh beneficiaries were added after the portal was reopened, while another 12.95 lakh had already been included during the tenure of the present government, taking the total number of new beneficiaries to 10,056,511.

He described the expansion as one of the state’s largest social security initiatives, made possible by the voluntary participation of 93.48 lakh beneficiaries who relinquished their ration benefits.

Godara said newly enrolled beneficiaries are entitled to 5 kg of wheat per person under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana. They will also become eligible for benefits under several state welfare schemes, including the Chief Minister LPG Subsidy Scheme, the Chief Minister Ayushman Accident Insurance Scheme, and the Chief Minister Ayushman Arogya Yojana.

The minister said the initiative reflects the state government’s effort to ensure that no eligible family is deprived of food security and other welfare benefits.

Source: IANS