Delhi Govt Extends Free Ration Till May 2022; Kejriwal Urges PM Modi to do Same
New Delhi: As the central scheme of free ration came to an end, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government decided to extend its free ration scheme by six months till May 2022, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Saturday.
"Inflation is at its peak. The common man is struggling to manage even two square meals a day. Many have lost their jobs due to COVID-19. Prime minister sir, please extend the scheme of supplying free ration to the poor by six months. The Delhi government is extending its free ration scheme for the next six months," he said in a tweet in Hindi.
Kejriwal's remarks came a day after Food Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey said the Centre had no proposal to extend distribution of free ration through the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) beyond November 30. Pandey said the scheme was not extended in view of recovery in the economy and good disposal of foodgrains in the open market under the OMSS (open market sale scheme) policy.
The Delhi government distributes free ration to beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, and PMGKAY.
The city has over 2,000 fair price shops, 17.77 lakh ration card holders and around 72.78 lakh beneficiaries. The free ration is given over and above subsidised grains distributed to them through ration shops.
The PMGKAY was launched in March last year to ameliorate distress caused by COVID-19. Initially, the scheme was launched for April-June last year. In June, the Union Cabinet approved a proposal to extend the PMGKAY to provide free ration to over 80 crore people, mostly poor, by five more months till November-end.
Under the PMGKAY, five-kilo food grains per person per month is provided free of cost to 81.35 crore beneficiaries covered under National Food Security Act (NFSA), according to the government.
The PMGKAY was reintroduced in order to minimise the economic hardships being faced by the poor PDS (public distribution system) beneficiaries during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The central government bears the entire expenditure towards this scheme without any contribution by states.
(With inputs from PTI)
Get the latest reports & analysis with people's perspective on Protests, movements & deep analytical videos, discussions of the current affairs in your Telegram app. Subscribe to NewsClick's Telegram channel & get Real-Time updates on stories, as they get published on our website.
