'Inefficient ration delivery systems did not fully benefit poor'

Ahmedabad: The scope and budget of cheap ration schemes rose since Independence but the effect it should have had on the poor remained limited due to ineffective delivery systems and selfish elements, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday.

Over the years, food storage kept increasing, but starvation and malnutrition did not decrease in that ratio, Modi said, after a virtual interaction with the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY) beneficiaries in Gujarat.

The PM-GKAY food security scheme is helping crores of poor people during the coronavirus pandemic which has helped lessen the worries of the poor, Modi said in his address marking the completion of five years in office by Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.

He said free ration has been made available to more than 80 crore people under the PM-GKAY scheme during the coronavirus pandemic with an expenditure of more than Rs 2 lakh crore. The government used new technology to make the food grain delivery system to the poor more effective, the PM added.

"After independence, almost every government had talked about providing cheap food to the poor. The scope and budget of cheap ration schemes increased year after year, but the effect it should have had remained limited. The country's food reserves increased, but hunger and malnutrition did not decrease in that proportion.

"Some sickness came into the system, some selfish elements entered. To change this situation, after 2014, work started in a new way, and the help of new technology was taken to remove crores of fake beneficiaries and link ration cards with Aadhaar cards and encourage digital technology in government fair price shops," he said. Citing the measures taken by his government, the PM said they ensured that no citizen went hungry despite the biggest calamity of the century striking when livelihood was threatened and business suffered due to lockdowns.

"The world has acknowledged the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana. Free ration has been made available to more than 80 crore people during the pandemic with an expenditure of more than 2 lakh crore rupees," he said.

Modi said the empowerment of the poor is a top priority of his government. "Today, the country is spending lakhs of crores on infrastructure, but at the same time, it is also setting new benchmarks to improve the quality of life of the common man, he said.

The government is making efforts to provide all possible help to citizens during the pandemic, he said. "Schemes of the Central government are helping the poor attain empowerment through better access to health and education that in turn help them live a dignified life. Empowerment is also attained by increasing the health, education, facilities, and dignity," the PM said.