On October 9,2024 the Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a green signal for the universal supply of fortified rice till December 2028 under all schemes presided by the government including Pradhan Mantri Greeb Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) and other welfare schemes in its present form.
The funding of the supply of the fortified rice will purely be done by the Central Government with the total cost of Rs. 17,082 crore.
“The rice fortification initiative will continue as a central sector initiative with 100 per cent funding by the Centre as part of PMGKAY (food subsidy), thus providing a unified institutional mechanism for implementation,” an official press release said.
The move is aimed at solidifying nutritional security by addressing anaemia and micronutrients deficiency in India.
The rice fortification initiative was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in April 2022. The process to implement the scheme began from March 2024 in a three-phase manner, which has been successfully executed, the Centre said.
What is rice fortification and why India chose Rice as its vehicle to secure the nutritional element within its people?
Rice fortification involves the adding of Fortified Rice Kernels (FRK), containing micronutrients such as iron, folic acid, and Vitamin B12, into regular rice. This is done in the ratio of 1:100 (Mixing 1 kg of FRK with 100 kg custom milled rice) and the final product is nearly identical to traditional rice in aroma, taste, and texture.
In the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) conducted between 2019 and 2021, Anaemia turned out to be a key concern in India impacting children, women and men. It also revealed the deficiencies in other crucial nutrients such as Vitamin B12, folic acid impacting India’s health and productivity.
To deal with the issue of micronutrient malnutrition, food fortification is used as a safe and effective measure globally, the Centre said. According to the official data, about 65 per cent of the Indian population consumes rice as a staple food, making it a significant food commodity in addressing this challenge.
