Congress president Sonia Gandhi urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday to provide free food grains for another three months from July in view of the prevailing Covid-19 situation across the country, saying millions of Indians are at risk of slipping into poverty due to the lockdown.
In a letter to the prime minister, she said the provision for supply of 5 kg free food grains per person every month to Antyodaya Anna Yojana and priority households under the National Food Security Act from April-June in addition to regular entitlements was announced at the beginning of the lockdown.
The government also announced free food grains of 5kg per person every month for migrants not covered under any central or state public distribution system (PDS) scheme for May and June, she added.
“The union government must consider extending the provision for free food grains for a further period of three months i.e. from July-September 2020. Several States have requested for the same,” Gandhi said.
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had in May announced providing 800,000 tonne of emergency ration for migrants under the Union government’s Atma Nirbhar Bharat programme for distribution during May and June.
The Congress chief also urged the Prime Minister to issue temporary ration cards to all poor households who continue to be excluded from the PDS system.
“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,” she wrote in the letter.
“In light of the current situation, food entitlements must be expanded to address the hunger crisis facing some of the most vulnerable people in the country,” added Gandhi.
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