New Delhi, Oct 9: The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved continuation of the universal supply of Fortified Rice under all schemes of the Government including Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) and Other Welfare Schemes etc. in its present form, from July 2024 and upto December 2028, officials said on Wednesday.

The rice fortification initiative will continue as a central sector initiative with 100% funding by the Government of India as part of PMGKAY (Food Subsidy), thus providing a unified institutional mechanism for implementation.

Accordingly, in line with the Prime Minister's address on 75th Independence Day on the necessity of Nutritional Security in the country, the initiative "Supply of fortified rice throughout the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), Other Welfare Schemes, Integrated Child Development Service (ICDS), PM POSHAN (Erstwhile MDM) in all States and Union Territories (UTs)" to address anaemia and micronutrients deficiency in the country was taken up.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in April 2022, decided to implement the Rice fortification initiative throughout the country in a phased manner by March 2024. All three phases have been successfully completed and the target of universal coverage to supply fortified rice in all schemes of the Government was achieved by March 2024.

According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) conducted between 2019 and 2021, anaemia remains a widespread issue in India, affecting children, women, and men across various age groups and income levels. Besides iron deficiency, other vitamin and mineral deficiencies, such as Vitamin B12 and folic acid, also persist, impacting the overall health and productivity of the population.

Food fortification has been used globally as a safe and effective measure to address anaemia and micronutrient malnutrition in the vulnerable population. Rice is an ideal vehicle for supplying micronutrients in the Indian Context as 65% of India's population consumes rice as a staple food. Rice fortification involves the addition of Fortified Rice Kernels (FRK) enriched with micronutrients (Iron, Folic Acid, Vitamin B 12) as per standards prescribed by FSSAI to regular Rice (Custom Milled Rice).

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