Delhi extends free ration till November

A week ago, on June 30, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced extension of the government’s free ration scheme, Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, till November-end.

The Delhi government on Tuesday decided to extend the free ration scheme till November. It also directed the food and civil supplies department to start ration distribution for July under the scheme in a phased manner from Wednesday, the government said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

This scheme covers nearly 7.14 million beneficiaries in Delhi. (Sanchit Khanna/HT PHOTO)

A week ago, on June 30, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced extension of the government’s free ration scheme, Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, till November-end.

The Delhi government said in its statement, “In a significant move, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal decided that all the PDS cardholders of Delhi will get free ration till November 2020... to mitigate the economic hardship caused by the pandemic, the Delhi govt will continue to provide foodgrains free of cost to National Food Security (NFS) beneficiaries in Delhi.”

This scheme covers nearly 7.14 million beneficiaries in Delhi.

“NFS beneficiaries are provided with 5kg of foodgrain every month, including 4 kg of wheat and 1 kg of rice... Cost fixed for entitlement is Rs 2 per kg for wheat and Rs 3 per kg for rice, which shall not be charged from the NFS beneficiaries while obtaining ration from July 2020 to November 2020,” the statement said.

Delhi food minister Imran Hussain said, “During the lockdown, the department of food and supplies has successfully made all-out efforts to meet the food requirement of the poor and vulnerable sections of the city, including NFS beneficiaries. The Delhi government had earlier provided entitled ration free of cost to NFS beneficiaries for April-June also.”

The scheme was introduced by the Central government and subsequently implemented by state governments from April 2020, in the light of the lockdown. It was initially planned for three months. Countrywide, the scheme covers 800 million beneficiaries.