By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, May 24, 2018: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday shot off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking help to include 34.44 lakh more beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in the state.

In the letter, Patnaik urged Modi to work out a mechanism to ensure modification of the target at regular intervals to cover the new beneficiaries in accordance with the increase in population.

The CM claimed that Odisha has successfully implemented the National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013, by providing ration to the given target of 3,26,41,800 beneficiaries, which is 78 per cent of the 2011 census population of 4,19,74,218.

“According to 2011 Census data, the rate of growth of population of Odisha was 14 per cent in the last decade. If we extrapolate this date, then in 2018 the population of Odisha has increased by 10.22 per cent as compared to 2011. It is estimated that the total population of Odisha in 2018 would be 4,62,63,983,” he added.

“Allowing the same percentage of coverage as was decided when the Act came into force, then we are entitled to cover 3,60,85,907 beneficiaries under the NFSA,” Patnaik noted in the letter.