After Centre stops sending ration from Oct, Bengal ration dealers write to PM to extend PMGKAY

Kolkata: Ration dealers have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to extend the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) scheme after the Centre stopped sending ration from October.

The food security welfare scheme was started by the Central government in March 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. The Modi government has announced free ration distribution across the country till November this year due to Coronavirus.

According to sources, the central project PMGKY, or PM's Poor Welfare Scheme, stopped sending free rations in October. Biswambhar Basu, National General Secretary, All India Fair Price Shop, sent a letter to PM Modi requesting to send food grains and extend the duration of the project. "We would solicit your kind attention to the fact that the distribution of Free grains under PMGKAY is going to be over on 30th November 2021 but the menace of Corona Pandemic continues all over the country and in some areas it is on rise again," read the letter.

The ration dealers urged the further extension of free distribution of food grains under the PMGKAY for another six months to ensure relief to the concerned beneficiaries who have been worst hit economically by the pandemic.

However, the Mamata Banerjee government has already introduced free rations in Bengal.

The pilot project for Duare Ration (Ration at Doorstep) that was rolled out from September 16 by the state Food and Supplies department in 15 per cent ration shops is being extended to 35 per cent more shops from October.