Supply free food grains to migrants till September: Sonia Gandhi tells PM Modi

Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Monday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to extend the supply of free food grains for migrant workers for three more months till September this year.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, Gandhi also asked him to issue temporary ration cards to poor households that had been excluded from the public distribution system (PDS).

The government had announced supply of free food grains of 5 kg per person every month for May and June for migrant workers who were not covered under any central or state PDS scheme.

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“The Union government must consider extending this provision for free food grains for a further period of three months i.e. from July-September 2020,” the Congress President said, pointing out that several state governments had made similar demands.

“I hope that the central government will consider the above mentioned suggestions and announce the decision at the earliest,” Gandhi said.

She said after three months of lockdown, millions of Indians are at the risk of slipping into poverty.

“The adverse impact on livelihoods has led to chronic food insecurity for both our urban and rural poor. In light of the current situation, food entitlement must be expanded to address the hunger crisis facing some of the most vulnerable people in the country,” Gandhi said.