The Government will supply _______ of iron fortified rice to the 800 million beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) by March 31, 2024.

Solution

Government will supply 35 million tonnes (MT) of iron fortified rice to the 800 million beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) by March 31, 2024.     Additionally 3.4 MT of fortified rice will be supplied to 83 million beneficiaries under the social sector programme such as Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and PM Poshan by the end of current fiscal.      Out of 660 districts which are covered under the public distribution system, 22 wheat consuming districts would be excluded from coverage under rice fortification. Annual estimated cost of ‘2,700 crore is anticipated for the fortified rice programme under NFSA, by 2024. The extra outlay would be part of the central government’s food subsidy budget estimated at Rs 2 trillion in FY24.