Ten Chief Ministers, from both the BJP and the Opposition, have demanded an extension of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana , which was announced by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as part of the first rescue package to deal with the economic crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read | Food Ministry awaits PMO word on food grain schemes extension
The scheme covers the 80-crore ration cardholders provided 5 kg of rice or wheat each month and one kg of pulses, for each of the households. The States that are demanding an extension include Assam, Karnataka, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Punjab, Kerala, Mizoram, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. They have demanded an extension of three months.
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“The demands made by these States have been forwarded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I have written to him too. We are all aware of the situation and a decision will be taken at an appropriate time,” Union food Minister Ramvilas Paswan said after a meeting with food ministers and secretaries of 14 States and Union Territories who are yet to enrol under the One Nation One Ration Card scheme.
According to sources, an extension of three months will cost the government ₹46,000 crore. “The States have argued that the purchasing power of people, especially those who returned to their villages have reduced drastically. They are now largely dependent on 100 days of work promised under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. Moreover, the economic uncertainties because of the COVID-19 pandemic continue,” a senior Ministry official said.
A few of these States have also demanded that the second scheme- announced by Ms. Sitharaman under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan- to cover 8 crore migrant workers who are not covered by the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and don’t have ration cards should also be extended. Speaking during the meeting of the food ministers and food secretaries, Chattisgarh Food Minister Amarjeet Singh Bhagat said, “In the last two months 25,000 persons have returned to the States; they do not have ration cards and more are still coming in.”
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Chhattisgarh has made additional ration cards of 74000 households, which so far, have not been recognised by the Union government.
One Nation, One Ration Card
At the Thursday meeting, representatives of 14 States — Assam, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Uttarkhand, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh, Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar, were called in. The policy entails that any person covered under NFSA, can get grains from any fair price shop across the nation.
Six of these States/Union Territories — Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep, complained of sparse Internet connectivity as the prime hurdle in implementing the scheme. The Jammu and Kashmir Food Secretary said Internet connectivity remained suspended or partially suspended in vast tracts of south Kashmir for security reasons and there the scheme would be started only in a phased manner.
Each of the States gave varying deadlines for completion of the project. It is likely to fully implemented by December.