Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi on Monday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to provide free food grains to the poor and needy for another three months till September. Noting “millions of Indians who are at risk of slipping into poverty”, she asked Modi to issue temporary ration cards.
In the letter Sonia Gandhi said, “The Union government must consider extending the provision for free food grains for further period of three months till September 2020, as several states have requested for the same.”
The Congress interim chief also demanded temporary ration cards should be provided as many poor families are excluded from the PDS.
She said that the government already has provision of 5 kgs of foodgrains per person till June through Antyodya Scheme and National Food Security Act, and the government has also extended this facility to migrants who are not covered in PDS.
She said, since the lockdown was announced 3 months ago millions of people are on the verge of “slipping into poverty” and the adverse impact has led to food “insecurity.”
She said due to the pandemic and Lockdown both urban and poor Indians are facing hunger and thus the food entitlement scheme should be extended.