Union Food Secretary Visits Odisha, Assures Central Support for Paddy Procurement and PDS

Bhubaneswar: Union Food and Public Distribution Secretary Sanjeev Chopra visited Odisha and held discussions with state officials on key issues related to paddy procurement and the public distribution system (PDS). During a high-level review meeting at Lok Seva Bhawan, chaired by Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, Chopra assured full cooperation from the central government in strengthening food security measures in the state.

The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare (FS&CW) Sanjay Kumar Singh, Managing Director, State Civil Supplies Corporation Shubham Saxena, Executive Director, Food Corporation of India (FCI) Manoj Kumar Gogoi, General Manager, Odisha Branch Nihar Ranjan Pradhan, and General Manager, Central Warehousing Corporation Narendra Kumar, among other senior officials.

At the outset, Principal Secretary Sanjay Kumar Singh briefed the Union Secretary on the state’s paddy procurement process and public distribution system. He highlighted that 91% of beneficiaries under the National and State Food Security Acts have completed their e-KYC verification. Efforts are underway to provide internet connectivity to 341 government fair price shops (FPS) in areas with poor network coverage. The state is also conducting door-to-door visits to verify the status of nearly 30 lakh beneficiaries who have not yet completed their e-KYC process.

During the discussions, Sanjeev Chopra emphasized the importance of direct transportation of paddy from procurement centers (mandis) to rice mills, ensuring efficiency in the supply chain. He also assured the state government of all necessary support from the Centre to streamline procurement and distribution operations.

Following the meeting, Chopra visited a Fair Price Shop at Unit-9, inspected a godown at Mancheswar, and examined a Grain ATM, where he interacted with beneficiaries to understand their experiences with the public distribution system.