Delhi government extends free ration scheme for next six months

Arvind Kejriwal has announced that the Delhi government has extended its free ration scheme for the next six months.

New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday (November 6) announced that the Delhi government has extended its free ration scheme for the next six months. Kejriwal stated that the inflation in the country is ‘at its peak’ due to which many people are unable to manage even two meals a day and many lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The common man is struggling to manage even two square meals a day. Many have lost their jobs due to COVID-19. Prime Minister, please extend the scheme of supplying free ration to the poor by six months. The Delhi government is extending its free ration scheme for the next six months," he said in a tweet in Hindi.

Kejriwal also wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday. In the letter, the Delhi Chief Minister urged the Centre to extend the free ration scheme for the next six months. 

The Chief Minister’s announcement of the extension of the free ration came after the Food Secretary Sudhanshu Pandey had said the Centre had no proposal to extend the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY). 

"Since the economy is in revival mode, as of now there is no proposal to extend Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana," Pandey had said while addressing a presser in Delhi.

Besides Delhi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had announced that the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY) will be extended until Holi next year. Also Read: IndiGo Recruitment 2021: India’s biggest airline invites applications from fresh engineering graduates

Envisaged by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, PM-GKAY is a food security welfare scheme to provide assistance and help mitigate the economic impact of COVID-19. Under the PMGKAY, beneficiaries receive 5 Kg per person additional food grain. Also Read: Real GDP expected to grow at 8-9% YoY in Q2FY22: Report