Assam govt suspends distribution of ration items for two months due to interim budget

Guwahati: The Assam government on Monday announced a two-month suspension of the distribution of subsidised pulses, sugar and salt under the public distribution system due to the continuation of the vote-on-account budget following the recent assembly elections.

In an advertisement published in newspapers, the food, public distribution and consumer affairs department said supplying the three food items, which were being given to eligible people at subsidised prices, has been stopped for two months with effect from June.

The department said the state is currently operating under a vote-on-account budget and the full budget for 2026-27 will be presented by the new government in July.

"The new government will present a full budget in July, and after its passage, the scheme will restart from August," it added.

However, distribution of monthly free rice will continue uninterrupted during this period.

The government said if some shops have leftover Masoor dal, sugar and salt after distribution in May, those will be given to poor families this month.

Presenting the interim budget in February ahead of the assembly elections, then Finance Minister Ajanta Neog had sought a vote-on-account of Rs 62,294.78 crore to enable the government to meet expenditure on essential services pending the presentation of the full budget.

She had said securing the basic right to food, the government covered 70.71 lakh families and provided free rice to over 2.49 crore citizens under the NFSA and PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana.