The Uttar Pradesh government has made elaborate arrangements for the extended distribution of free food grains to over 15 crore people from 80,000 ration shops across the state starting December 12.
On Thursday, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath instructed officials to ensure that the ration was distributed through parliamentarians and local public representatives.
Since the first COVID-19 wave (April 2020), the UP government has so far distributed more than 128 lakh metric tons (MT) of free food grains across the state. To provide further food security to the poor and deprived people, the government has extended the free ration distribution scheme till Holi.
For the first time, ration card holders in the state will receive a litre of refined oil, a kilo each of salt and pulses free of cost along with wheat and rice. Thus each beneficiary will get around 10 kg of free food grains in a month.
More than 15 crore people of the state are set to get the double benefit of free ration scheme. While ration will be available for free under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, the state government is also providing free of cost food grains till Holi, apart from PMGKAY, with the addition of cooking oil and salt in the relief package. The initiative aims at reducing the woes of the economically marginalised citizens, who are not able to arrange for ration and food due to the pandemic and its aftermath.
Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, which was started due to the pandemic, was coming to an end in November. In this scheme, free ration was being given to all ration cardholders. After the end of this scheme, on November 3, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced in Ayodhya that the facility will be provided by the state government for the December, January, February and March 2022.
Notably, there are around 1,30,07,969 units of beneficiaries under Antyodaya Anna Yojana and 13,41,77, 983 units under Eligible Household cardholders.