Why in News?

In the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the central government's scheme for distribution of fortified rice from government ration shops was approved.

Key Points:

=> Under this scheme, 85 percent of the population of rural areas and 75 percent of the population of urban areas will get nutritious rice, which will be rich in iron, fluoric acid and vitamin B-12.

=> Significantly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced fortification of rice distributed under various government schemes including Public Distribution System (PDS) and Mid-Day-Meal Scheme by the year 2024.

=> According to the Food Ministry, fortification of rice is a cost-effective and complementary strategy to increase the vitamin and mineral content of the diet.

=> According to FSSAI, food fortification refers to the intentional increase in the content of essential micronutrients in food, so as to improve the nutritional quality of food and provide public health benefits with minimum risk to health.