Gujarat's Rs 2,856 Crore Food Security Plan: CBDC Coupons & Grain ATMs

Addressing a press conference in Gandhinagar on Monday, Minister Raman Solanki said the government remained committed to ensuring food security for the most vulnerable sections of society.

"With the mantra of 'Antyodaya' and 'Garib Kalyan', the government is committed to ensuring food security for the last person in the queue," Solanki said.

He added that 'Garib Kalyan' (poor's welfare) was not merely an agenda but a guiding principle of the state government led by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi.

Additional Chief Secretary Mona Khandhar said Rs 700.63 crore had been allocated to provide food security to about 75 lakh families covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in the state.

A further Rs 841.69 crore has been earmarked to supply tur dal and chana to NFSA cardholders at subsidised rates to ensure access to a balanced diet.

Khandhar said that in 2025-26, the distribution of pulses had increased by 28,491 metric tonnes compared with the previous year.

To address iodine and iron deficiency, the government has allocated Rs 59.49 crore to supply double fortified salt to 75 lakh families at a subsidised rate of Rs 1 per kilogram.

Highlighting the use of technology to improve transparency in the public distribution system, she said Gujarat had launched a pilot project for digital food coupons based on Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC).

"This system is based on e-KYC, which will help resolve issues such as biometric authentication failures," Khandhar said, adding that e-KYC of 4.23 crore ration card members in the state had been completed so far.

The Chief Secretary said the government was continuing procurement of food grains at the minimum support price to ensure farmers receive remunerative prices.

In 2025-26, the state procured various grains from 40,396 farmers and transferred Rs 47,494 lakh directly to their bank accounts.

To encourage the consumption of millets, the government has provided Rs 36.51 crore to offer farmers an incentive bonus of Rs 300 per quintal for the procurement of bajra, jowar, ragi and maize.

She said the commission paid to more than 17,000 fair price shop dealers had been increased from Rs 150 per quintal to Rs 185 per quintal.

A provision of Rs 67.20 crore has been made for the increase. "With the mantra of 'Sajag Grahak, Surakshit Gujarat', several initiatives have been taken to protect consumer interests," Khandhar said.

She added that pre-litigation and conciliation centres would be established in consumer dispute redressal commissions in every district to enable quicker settlement of complaints without lengthy court procedures.

Officials also said the Investor Facilitation Portal had been operationalised to make the functioning of the legal metrology system more transparent.

Among new initiatives, the department plans to introduce 'Annapurti' grain ATMs designed to dispense subsidised grain to beneficiaries at any time.

Officials said the machines, developed as a "Made in Gujarat" initiative, would allow beneficiaries to receive up to 25 kilograms of grain in about 35 seconds.

A provision of Rs 10 crore has been made for the project, and the first grain ATM is expected to be inaugurated in Kalol.

The department has also earmarked Rs 2.49 crore to establish a new IT cell to strengthen the implementation of the SMART-PDS system.

Another Rs 28.38 crore has been allocated to procure 67 working standard laboratory instruments for the legal metrology system.

To increase storage capacity, the state is considering the construction of 51 new godowns across 45 talukas with assistance from NABARD, which officials said would create an additional storage capacity of 93,400 metric tonnes.

The government also plans to introduce packaged distribution of tur dal, chana and sugar in certified one-kilogram packets instead of loose quantities to improve transparency and reduce complaints.

Officials further said memorandums of understanding had been signed to develop a Consumer Responsibility Index (CRI) to rate companies based on their behaviour towards consumers and their complaint redressal mechanisms.

- IANS