The Centre has decided to increase the allocation of foodgrain to the Above Poverty Line (APL) families in five North Eastern states up to 35 kilogrammes per month from August this year.The step has been taken considering the region’s remoteness, inaccessibility, and difficult terrain. The states to be benefitted under the scheme included Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura and Sikkim.
Disclosing this to news persons at a press conference in Guwahati lon Friday, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said an additional allocation of 2.93 lakh tones of wheat and rice had been given to these areas to increase the APL distribution.
He said the initiative had been taken considering the request of some of the states in the region to ensure continuous, regular and adequate supply of food grains to all places.
Pawar said that a total of 3.38 lakh metric tones of foodgrains had been allocated in the North-East under the open market sale scheme.