In view of the extension of COVID-19 lockdown till this month-end, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Friday announced free rations for family card holders for July also. The tokens for receiving the essential supplies would be distributed at the door-steps of beneficiaries between July 6 and 9. The tokens could be exchanged for commodities during specified timings from ration shops from July 10.
In a statement, Mr. Palaniswami said rice cardholders would get their entitlements as they received during April, May and June. The other cardholders would receive 1 kg each of sugar and tur dal and a litre of edible oil. “For those living within COVID-19 containment zones, the essential supplies, as per their entitlement, would be delivered at their door-steps,” Mr. Palaniswami said.
He reiterated his appeal to the general public to wear face mask and to maintain physical distancing norms while receiving the essential supplies.
Since the lockdown was imposed from March-end, the State government distributed essential supplies — rice, sugar, dal and edible oil — free of cost, besides financial assistance of ₹1,000 per rice cardholders from April.
As the lockdown was extended in May and June, essential supplies such as a kg of dal and a litre of edible oil were distributed to the ration cardholders, besides rice and sugar free of cost, as per their entitlement.
In view of the directions from the Centre to distribute an additional 5 kg of rice for rice cardholders, the supplies were distributed from April to June, based on the number of persons attached in each of these cards, he pointed out.
