Raipur: In a bid to reduce the malnutrition mass of the state, the Baghel govt has decided to distribute fortified rice under the Public Distribution System on the lines of the National Food Security Act. from March onwards.
The decision stemmed from a meeting of the Council of Ministers on Friday held under the chairmanship of CM Bhupesh Baghel.
According to the information received from the Food Department, roughly 3,89,486 tonnes of rice is allocated annually to citizens holding the ration cards. Nearly Rs 28.43 crores will be spent on the fortification of this rice and Rs 11.16 crores will be spent on for distribution of fortified rice to the beneficiaries of the National Food Security Act.
Districts like Korba, Rajnandgaon, Mahsamund, Kanker, Narayanpur, Dantewada, Bijapur, Bastar, Kondagaon, Sukma are a few of the districts that would be given fortified rice based on the ration card under the National Food Security Act.
The National Family Health Survey 2015-16 states that every second woman is anaemic, every third child is stunted and malnourished and every fifth child is wasted. Further, over 70 per cent of the population consumes less than 50 per cent of the Recommended Dietary Allowance.
Rice forms a staple food for nearly 65% of Indian citizens. However, during milling and polishing of rice, it loses some of the nutrients. In order to enrich rice with the required nutrients, rice fortification is one of the most trusted techniques. The grain of fortified rice is enriched with iron, folic acid, vitamin B12 which helps in fighting anaemia, promotes better foetal development and produces blood along with help in normal functioning of the nervous system.