New Delhi, Aug 27 (IANS): A total of 18 lakh families in the national capital are entitled to receive cheap grains under the national food security scheme, an official said here Wednesday.

Of the 21 lakh applicant families, 18 lakh are eligible for the scheme. Out of 18 lakh, 9 lakh have already been receiving the benefits under the scheme.

New ration cards will be issued to the remaining 9 lakh families and the benefits will be provided to them over the next two to three months.

S.S. Yadav, commissioner, department of food and civil supplies said over 1,500 people were deployed by the department to identify the eligible beneficiary families.

"The work had to be suspended twice for two months each due to elections to the legislative assembly of Delhi and subsequently elections to the Lok Sabha," he said.

The National Food Security Act 2013 aims to provide cheap food grains - wheat for Rs.2 per kg and rice for Rs.3 per kg - to two-thirds of India's 1.2 billion population.