With an objective to provide rice with high nutritive value to 87 per cent of the population in Manipur under the National Food Security Act, the government mixed the rice with fortified rice and people need not panic about it, director Consumers Affairs Food and Public Distribution, Robertson Ashem has said.
He was speaking to the media at the conference hall of DIPR, Nityaipat Chuthek, Imphal on Sunday.
He said that in some media, people have been complaining that they found some rice kernels among the rice distributed under the NFSA. He clarified that the government mixed it with fortified rice with an objective to provide high nutritive value rice.
Fortified rice is made up of rice powder mixed with vitamins including vitamin B12, iron, folic acid after considering the health benefits for pregnant and lactating mothers and others. After they are mixed thoroughly it is shaped like rice and then mixed with the ordinary rice, said Robertson.
He informed that one kg of fortified rice is mixed to 100 kg of ordinary rice.
He appealed to the NFSA beneficiaries not to panic on such fortified rice stating that fortified rice is mixed after considering public health.
Such rice is not plastic rice and has been distributed to the beneficiaries free of cost with different categories since January this year, he added.
Responding to the media, Robertson said the state has adequate stock of rice and is trying to draw more rice through Imphal-Jiribam highway as preventive measures with the coming of monsoon season.
