Delhi govt extends free ration scheme by six months, urges Centre to do so too

The move came a day after Union food secretary Sudhanshu Pande said the Centre was not planning to extend beyond November 30 the free ration scheme, which was launched as a social net for the poor during the coronavirus pandemic

New Delhi: The state government will distribute free, additional ration to lower-income group residents of the city for another six months, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Saturday, adding that he wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and urged him to extend the Centre’s free ration scheme for the same period.

The Delhi government in a Cabinet meeting chaired by Kejriwal in May last year decided to give extra free ration to the needy. (Raj K Raj/HT Archive)

“The Delhi government is extending its free ration scheme to the poor for six months. I urged the Central government to also extend its ration scheme for six months by writing a letter to the Prime Minister. People are in a lot of trouble right now. It would not be right to let go of their hand at this juncture,” Kejriwal said in a statement on Saturday.

The move came a day after Union food secretary Sudhanshu Pande said the Centre was not planning to extend beyond November 30 the free ration scheme, which was launched as a social net for the poor during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Delhi government in a Cabinet meeting chaired by Kejriwal in May last year decided to give extra free ration to the needy. According to the eligibility prescribed under the National Food Security Act (NFSA, 5kg of food grains are distributed to residents from lower-income groups, including migrant workers, unorganised workers, construction workers, domestic helpers and those who do not have ration cards. This includes 4kg of wheat and 1kg of rice per person per month. Since then, about two million people in Delhi have received rations as part of this programme.

Kejriwal in his letter to the PM wrote that during Covid-19, the central government had given free ration to every cardholder across the country in addition to the ration being made available every month.

“The Delhi government made the monthly ration supply free from its own end… Due to these steps by the central government and Delhi government, the poor got a lot of relief during the pandemic. These schemes by both governments are ending in November. The central government has announced that this scheme will not be extended after November,” he said in the letter.

He added, “There is backbreaking inflation in the country at this time. The common man is finding it difficult to get two square meals. Many people lost their jobs during the Corona period. They have no means of earning. In such a situation, I request you that the Central Government further extend this scheme of giving additional free ration to the people for six more months. The Delhi Government is extending the scheme from its own end to provide people free additional ration for six months. It will be very kind of you to do the same as well.”