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"The Centre's ration policy should be to provide ration to each
and every one of the 130 crore population of the country," she said.
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New Delhi (Agencies) : Soon
after Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended the Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan
Ann Yojana (PMGKAY) till November-end, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee Tuesday announced that the her
government will provide free ration to beneficiaries till June next year.
“The Centre’s ration policy should be to
provide ration to each and every one of the 130 crore population of the
country,” she said.
The scheme, started to
distribute ration among the poor after the Covid 19 lockdown was announced, was
to end today. The scheme involves providing additional 5 kg foodgrain free to
80 crore National Food Security Act (NFSA) beneficiaries, over and above their
monthly entitlement. Initially, it was for three months—April, May and June
only.
Notably, many state CMs and
Congress president Sonia Gandhi had written to the Prime Minister to extend the
scheme. In a June-22 letter to the PM, Gandhi wrote: “Nearly three months since
the country went into a strict lockdown, millions of Indians are at risk of
slipping into poverty. The adverse impact on livelihoods has led to chronic
food insecurity for both, our urban and rural poor. In light of the current
situation, food entitlements should be expanded to address the hunger crisis
facing some some of the most vulnerable people in the country.”
The letter had then went on to
ask for extending the PMGKY till September.
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