BHUBANESWAR:  The State Government has decided to pay cash instead of providing cheap rice to physically challenged persons.

The physically challenged persons, who were getting subsidised rice, will get `200 per month. A decision to this effect was taken by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at a high-level meeting in the Secretariat here. The cash for rice will be given to persons with more than 60 per cent disability, a release from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said.

The decision was taken as the State Government was facing difficulties in providing cheap rice to physically challenged persons following the implementation of National Food Security Act (NFSA) by the Centre.

The physically challenged persons will get the cash for rice along with their pension with retrospective effect from October, 2015. Official sources said this will benefit two lakh beneficiaries in the State. The State Government is providing 10 kg of rice every month at ` one per kg to persons with more than 60 per cent disability. ENS