The government today announced a three-phased implementation of a scheme to distribute fortified rice under different food programmes run by the Centre, Trend reports citig The Tribune.

Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur said a decision in this regard was taken during a meeting of the Union Cabinet, which met on Thursday under the chairmanship of PM Narendra Modi.

"PM Modi had announced on August 15, 2021, that the rice distributed under various schemes would be fortified," said Thakur.

Later, the government said the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs had accorded its approval for the supply of fortified rice throughout the targeted public distribution system (TPDS) under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman-PM POSHAN and other welfare schemes of the Government of India in all states and union territories by 2024 in a phased manner.

Sharing details of the programme during a press briefing, the minister said in the first phase, fortified rice was being distributed under the ICDS and PM POSHAN.

The Union Cabinet has given its nod to continue with the Atal Innovation Mission till March 2023. The govt said the intended targets under the scheme would be to establish 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs, 101 Atal Incubation Centres and supporting 200 startups via the Atal New India Challenges.