In a big relief to poor people of the national Capital, the Delhi Cabinet on Wednesday decided to continue providing free ration to almost 73 lakh residents till September 30.
The Cabinet has also approved proposals to procure 1,950 buses, including 1,500 electric and 450 CNG AC buses, and issue fresh tenders for another 4,800 buses, taking the fleet to over 11,000 on the Capital's roads by December 2024 and smart urban farming initiatives to encourage the urban farming and terrace gardening scheme to grow fruits and vegetables for both self consumption and for market purposes. After the Cabinet meeting, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the Delhi Government has been supplying ration for free to almost 73 lakh citizens since April 2020.
The proposal to this effect was moved by the Food and Civil Supplies department for the extension of the supply of free ration for NFSA beneficiaries for another four months from June to September 2022.
The chief minister said that the Delhi government has been providing free ration to the people for the last couple of years. “The government offers ration at a nominal rate from ration shops however for the last few years, we've been giving that for free too.
We have extended this scheme till 30th September and will continue supplying free ration for the coming months too,” he said. The Delhi Government distributes free ration to beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013. The city has over 2,000 fair price shops, 17.77 lakh ration card holders and around 72,77,995 beneficiaries. NFSA beneficiaries include needy people like migrant workers, unorganised workers, construction workers, domestic helpers and those who do not have ration cards. Under the free ration scheme, five kg of food grains are provided free of cost to the needy according to the eligibility prescribed under the NFS Act 2013. This includes four kg of wheat and one kg of rice per person per month. In December 2021, the Delhi government had extended the free ration scheme till May 31, 2022.
