Bhubaneswar: With the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) center began on November 30, the Chairman of the Naveen Patnaik Minister on Sunday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to extend the free food distribution scheme for eight months.
The center has announced PMGKay last year to improve the distress among the poor people during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Under the scheme, this center provides 5 kg of free rice / wheat per month along with 1 kg free credit to around 80 crore people in this country – including 3.25 crore in Odisha – which is the beneficiary of the National Food Security Law ( NFSA).
This exceeds and above the normal allocation of rations under the food security scheme.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, said Minister of Chief because adequate food available at this time with the government, it must consider extending the scheme until the pandemic situation increased and the normal state was restored in the country.
“The effect of Covid-19 has not reduced fully despite fast-paced vaccination drives carried out throughout the country, because new infection cases continue to surface.
Also, other economic activities have not reached the pre-pandemic level, as a result of which person who is still struggling to undergo Normal life in a sustainable way of life, “Naveen wrote.
Letter CM After plans to end the free wheat scheme which is said by the minister’s head under the applicable situation, it is very important that the government must provide assistance to vulnerable.
“The serious cause of worries in this ongoing pandemic is the challenge of food security to those who need and vulnerable,” said Naveen.
Said that Odisha had prioritized a seven-month quota distribution of FFGKAY FoodGrains to NFSA beneficiaries and completed it on November 5, the main minister said the state government had also expanded similar facilities with beneficiaries covered under state food security scheme (SFS).
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“Provision of free food to people at these important points ensures that no one needs and the vulnerable people are seized from the food garden during a pandemic,” Naveen wrote.
The ministerial chairman was present after the recent announcement by Uni Food Secretary Sudhansu Pandey that there was no proposal to expand the free ration scheme outside November 30.
Although the scheme was originally announced for three months, from April to June, 2020 centers have extended it twice until November 2021.
Previously, several opposition parties and activists on food campaigns also urged the center to extend the PMGKAY scheme for six months.