Dikhyaa Mohanty 
The Food Supplies & Consumer Welfare Department’s goals and accomplishments during the last four years, as well as the fulfillment of the promises made in the manifesto, were reviewed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday. Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, minister of food supplies, consumer welfare, and cooperation, provided information on how the department’s transformational efforts over the previous four years have helped it achieve its goals and meet the promises made in the election platform.
Nayak emphasized the department’s transformational actions under the 5T and MO Sarkar programs, including the following:
- More women’s self-help groups (WSHG) and gram panchayats have been involved in PDS distribution. As of date, about 60% of the PDS distribution in the State is carried out by them.
- Odisha is the first state in the country that has involved WSHGs in paddy procurement operations. About 687 WSHGs are doing paddy procurement in the State.
- After a pilot project in Malkangiri district, the rice fortification programme has been extended to all welfare schemes in all 30 districts of the state. This will help with the nutritional needs of the people.
- The department has also started home delivery of rations for the old, infirm, and critically-ill patients.
- The department is ensuring payment to the farmers of their MSP within 24-48 hours which is one of the fastest in the country.
The Minister of Food Supplies, Consumer Welfare & Cooperation also emphasized the honors and recognition that his department had garnered over the course of the year.
- Odisha ranked No. 1 state in the country in the State Ranking Index 2021-22 by the Department of Food & Public Distribution, Government of India, for NFSA implementation.
- IIM Ahmedabad has taken up Odisha’s achievement as a case study and is doing research on the methodology Odisha adopted for the successful implementation of NFSA & SFSS.
- Odisha pioneered the implementation of the rice fortification programme in the country under all schemes i.e. PDS/MDM/PM-POSHAN/ICDS/OWS in all 30 districts of the state. Also, we are a major contributor of fortified rice to the central pool.
- FS&CW Department has been awarded Planet Purpose Award 2023 for the project “Village-wise plot level Analysis of Paddy crop growing areas using Satellite Imagery”. Odisha is the only state in the country that utilises satellite imagery, the high-end technology for validation of paddy crop growing areas.
- Missions from WFP Iraq and Libya visited Odisha to learn about the paddy procurement and TPDS Automation System functioning in the state. Iraq adopts the PDS Supply Chain Module of Odisha.
- A high-level ministerial delegation from Nepal visited Odisha to study the implementation of NFSA and End-to-End Computerization of TPDS in May 2022.
