Grains for all: UP boosts food security with tech, nutrition and robust procurement systems | India News

Uttar Pradesh Efforts are being intensified to strengthen food security in the state and ensure prompt payment to farmers for their produce. Government data shows that a combination of technology-driven distribution, nutrition assistance and direct collection is being used to reach millions of beneficiaries across the state.The Public Distribution System (PDS) remains at the heart of the State’s vision. About 150 million eligible beneficiaries receive 5 Kg Free food grains every month, while 35 kg is given to the most vulnerable endowment families. Antyoday ration card holders also get 3 kg sugar quarterly at Rs 18 per kg. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the state has expanded the distribution basket to include free 1 kg pulses, 1 liter edible oil and 1 kg salt for all cardholders.To improve transparency and eliminate leakages and “ghost beneficiaries”, electronic point of sale (e-POS) machines have been deployed in distribution centres. These use biometric verification to ensure benefits reach the intended recipients and prevent leakage or duplication.The government has also moved towards nutritional security. From 2023-24, all ration card holders received rice fortified with iron, vitamin B-12 and folic acid to combat malnutrition and anaemia. Also, the state’s Ujjwala Yojana has provided over 18.6 million free LPG connections, including two free cylinders. holi And Diwali, enables cleaner cooking.Between 2017-18 and 2025-26, Uttar Pradesh has procured 45.7 million MT of paddy, worth over Rs 88,951 crore, and 24.4 million MT of wheat, worth over Rs 45,935 crore. Smaller amounts of coarse grains were also collected: 0.47 million metric tons of millet, with payments of over Rs.458 crore, and 0.13 million metric tons of maize, totaling over Rs.262 crore.The inclusion of coarse grains like millet, maize and sorghum in the collection is part of the state’s efforts to expand the range of crops available to farmers.The “Ek Desh One Ration Card” scheme, implemented in May 2020, helps more than 6.7 million UP cardholders, allowing beneficiaries to access food grains across the state. To improve the distribution infrastructure, the government is building modern fair price shops, so called Annapurna buildings, of which 7,439 are complete and 1,772 are under construction. A Budget 200 crore has been allocated for the financial year 2025-26 for this purpose.