PM Modi launches Surat food security saturation campaign

In Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched the Surat Food Security Saturation Campaign, reaffirming the government’s commitment to ensuring comprehensive food security for the underprivileged. As part of the initiative, he distributed benefits under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) to approximately 2 lakh eligible beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY). The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) was launched during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide free, high-quality food grains to economically weaker families. In Gujarat alone, more than 76 lakh NFSA cards have been issued, covering approximately 3.72 crore people.
Modi emphasized the government’s commitment to provide adequate nutrition to every family in the country, aiming to make the country anaemia- and malnutrition-free. The Prime Minister said that the government has adopted a saturation approach to ensure that every eligible beneficiary receives the benefits.Asserting that access to quality nutrition is key to the nation’s progress, he highlighted the importance of nutrition in building a developed India. He also added that the government has been placing special emphasis on cleanliness to achieve this vision.
The Gujarat government has taken additional steps to classify beneficiaries under various social security schemes—such as the Ganga Swaroopa Aarthik Sahay Yojana for widows, the Vruddh Pension Sahay Yojana for the elderly, and the Divyang Sahay Yojana for persons with disabilities—as priority households under the NFSA, regardless of their income. This move ensures that they receive both subsidized food grains and additional free food grains under PMGKAY. Under PM Modi’s scheme saturation approach and CM Bhupendra Patel’s commitment to Antyodaya Kalyan (upliftment of the underprivileged), the Surat District Food Security Saturation Campaign was launched to bring more eligible beneficiaries under the scheme. Special efforts were made to identify and include marginalized groups, including widowed women, elderly individuals, persons with disabilities, and daily wage earners who were not previously covered.
To further support beneficiaries during festive periods, the state government provides additional rations. During Janmashtami and Diwali, NFSA cardholders receive an extra 1 kg of sugar per card and 1 litre of double-filtered groundnut oil at a subsidized rate of ₹100 per litre. Following a roadshow in Surat, Modi was felicitated by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Union Minister CR Patil. The campaign is part of a larger effort to strengthen food security by expanding coverage under the NFSA and PMGKAY, ensuring that no eligible individual is left without access to subsidized food grains

(State Correspondent)