Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Monday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sought to extend the distribution of monthly free foodgrains to vulnerable sections of the population till September.
In a letter to Mr. Modi, Ms. Gandhi said the government should extend schemes that provided monthly free ration of 5 kg of food grains per person to migrant workers who were not covered under any Central scheme or the public distribution system (PDS), as well as those who are covered under Antodaya Anna Yojana and as Priority Households under the National Food Security Act, 2005.
“The Union government must consider extending the provision of free food grains for a further period of three months, that is, July to September 2020. Many State governments have asked for the same. Furthermore, since a significant number of poor households continue to be excluded from the PDS system, temporary ration cards must be issued to all such households,” she said.
Urging the government to take note of the suggestions, Ms. Gandhi said millions of Indians were facing food insecurity and slipping into poverty because of the three-month lockdown.
