Jaipur, Jan 21 (NationPress) The state of Rajasthan is set to introduce Grain ATMs in Jaipur, Bharatpur, and Bikaner, enabling beneficiaries to seamlessly obtain their rations using ration cards. This initiative, as stated by Rajasthan's Food and Civil Supplies Minister Sumit Godara, will eliminate the necessity for visits to fair price shops.

In addition, Rajasthan's 'Give Up' campaign has become a significant milestone in enhancing food security, with over 54 lakh affluent individuals voluntarily relinquishing their benefits. This paves the way for the inclusion of nearly 73 lakh eligible beneficiaries.

During a press conference at the Secretariat, the minister highlighted that this campaign reflects the community's spirit of sacrifice and social responsibility under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma.

Since the campaign's inception on November 1, 2024, more than 54.36 lakh affluent and ineligible individuals have voluntarily surrendered their food security benefits, expanding coverage to approximately 73 lakh eligible beneficiaries across the state.

The campaign is set to conclude on February 28, after which measures will be undertaken against ineligible beneficiaries who do not voluntarily opt-out.

Godara noted that the campaign aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of ensuring that no eligible individual is left behind in the food security scheme. Following the guidance of Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, the state government re-launched the Food Security Portal on January 26 last year to facilitate the inclusion of eligible beneficiaries.

Rajasthan has a beneficiary cap of 4.46 crore under the National Food Security Act (NFSA). Previously, there was no opportunity to add new beneficiaries due to saturation. However, the voluntary surrender under the Give Up campaign and the inability of nearly 27 lakh NFSA beneficiaries to complete e-KYC has opened up vacancies for around 81 lakh eligible individuals, which constitutes 18.6% of the current NFSA beneficiaries.

The campaign received accolades from Union Home Minister Shah during the recent 32nd Northern Zonal Council meeting.

Jaipur district led the charge with the highest number of new inclusions, adding 3.17 lakh eligible beneficiaries to the food security list, followed by Barmer and Sikar with 3.07 lakh and 3.04 lakh beneficiaries, respectively.

Currently, Rajasthan has 4.35 crore beneficiaries, leaving approximately 11 lakh vacancies under the NFSA. Applications are being accepted continuously, with only 90,000 applications pending, making Rajasthan unique in its capacity to accommodate new applicants.

To ensure transparency, departmental officials conduct eight days of field surveys each month, supported by a three-tier verification system, empowering District Collectors to approve eligible cases.