Beneficiaries to Receive Gas Refill Amount via DBT under Mukhyamantri Antyodaya Free Gas Refill Scheme

Under the Mukhyamantri Antyodaya Free Gas Refill Scheme, beneficiaries will receive the amount for gas refills through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). The Food Department will ensure that this amount is used exclusively for refilling LPG cylinders. In Uttarakhand, around 1.84 lakh Antyodaya cardholder families are covered under the scheme, benefiting approximately 10 lakh people in the state.

Chief Minister Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami, while reviewing the Food Department at the Secretariat on Thursday, directed officials to ensure 100% coverage of eligible Antyodaya cardholders under this scheme. Uttarakhand is the first state in the country to implement such a scheme.

During the meeting, the Chief Minister instructed that the data of all beneficiaries registered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) be updated. He emphasized that senior citizens and other eligible persons should not be deprived of their rations due to biometric verification issues. In such cases, offline verification or alternate methods must be used to ensure ration distribution.

He also directed a review of current food grain storage capacity and physical condition of warehouses, and called for arrangements to ensure secure and protected storage.

The Chief Minister stressed the effective implementation of the One Nation One Ration Card scheme to ensure beneficiaries face no obstacles in availing rations from any location. Officials were directed to monitor real-time transaction data through the e-PDS portal, and to strengthen Aadhaar seeding and mobile OTP-based distribution systems.

Strict action must be taken against fake ration card holders, and any dealers or officials found negligent or involved in irregularities should be immediately suspended. All cardholders should receive their complete monthly ration on time.

He also instructed that pre-stocking arrangements in remote and hilly regions be strengthened. A review of state warehouses should be conducted, and modernization and expansion should be done as needed. Buffer stock plans must be prepared for every district.

Timely food grain supply should be ensured for Midday Meal schemes and Anganwadi centers. All complaints received through the Food Grievance Redressal System must be resolved within a defined timeframe.

Present in the meeting were Vice Chairman of the Infrastructure Monitoring Council Shri Vishwas Dabur, Chief Secretary Shri Anand Bardhan, Principal Secretaries Shri R.K. Sudhanshu, Shri L. Fanai, Shri R. Meenakshi Sundaram, Secretary Shri Chandresh Kumar Yadav, Additional Secretary Shri Bansidhar Tiwari, and other officials from the Food Department.

Issued by the Department of Information and Public Relations