The Rajasthan government has broadened food security coverage to more than 10 million eligible beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA). This expansion was achieved through the state’s ‘Give Up’ campaign, where financially capable beneficiaries voluntarily surrendered their ration entitlements. Food and Civil Supplies Minister Sumit Godara revealed that 10,056,511 new eligible individuals have been included in the food security program after nearly 93.5 lakh well-off beneficiaries gave up their NFSA benefits.
The Minister expressed gratitude to Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma for the initiative during a meeting on Wednesday. He highlighted that the campaign facilitated the extension of food security to deserving families previously excluded from the scheme. Rajasthan, with a fixed ceiling of around 4.46 crore beneficiaries under the NFSA based on population norms, had already reached its quota, leaving many eligible families unable to access the benefits.
To address this issue, the state government launched the ‘Give Up’ campaign on November 1, 2024, encouraging financially capable beneficiaries to voluntarily surrender their food security benefits. Following this, the NFSA portal was reopened on January 26, 2025, allowing eligible families to apply for inclusion in the scheme. Minister Godara reported that 87.6 lakh beneficiaries were added after the portal reopened, with an additional 12.95 lakh beneficiaries already included during the current government’s tenure, totaling 10,056,511 new beneficiaries.
Describing this expansion as one of the state’s major social security initiatives, the Minister emphasized that it was made possible by the voluntary participation of 93.48 lakh beneficiaries who gave up their ration benefits. The newly enrolled beneficiaries are now entitled to receive 5 kg of wheat per person under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana. Additionally, they will be eligible for benefits under various state welfare schemes, including the Chief Minister LPG Subsidy Scheme, the Chief Minister Ayushman Accident Insurance Scheme, and the Chief Minister Ayushman Arogya Yojana.
