States/UTs have reported no starvation deaths: government

According to the government, no state or union territory has reported a death due to starvation in the country. Not a single state government/union territory administration has reported any incident of starvation death, Food Minister Piyush Goyal said in a written response to the Lok Sabha. He was responding to a question from Lok Sabha MP Gajanan Kirtikar about whether the country is still suffering from starvation deaths. He stated that the central government will provide free foodgrains to 80 million beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) beginning in January by combining two existing food subsidy schemes. The complete computerization of the Public Distribution System (PDS) has ensured the proper targeting of nearly 80 million beneficiaries across the country. Ration card portability has been enabled in 36 states and UTs, he added. In a separate response, the minister stated that the country’s 19.5 crore ration cards have been completely digitalized.