The Public Distribution System (PDS) card holders in Karnataka will get 5 kg of rice each for May and June under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY).
The Food Corporation of India (FCI) has made the stock available and the state Food and Civil Supplies Department has already begun to lift the stock from the FCI godowns, an official release from the FCI stated on Thursday.
The PMGKAY was introduced last year to help people overcome the Covid crisis. The government supplied free rice under the scheme between March and October, 2020, according to FCI officials. The ration provided under the scheme will be in addition to the regular ration supplied under PDS. There are about 4 crore beneficiaries under PDS in Karnataka.
Meanwhile, Opposition leader Siddaramaiah has demanded the state government to allocate 10 kg of rice to each person along with other essential items. "People are at home without jobs due to lockdown in the state. They are finding it difficult to afford even basic essentials," he tweeted on Thursday.
He also reiterated the Congress party's demand to sack Food and Civil Supplies Minister Umesh Katti. The minister came under criticism on Wednesday for asking a farmer to "go, die" when he asked why the government had reduced the quantity of rice under PDS.
(Published 29 April 2021, 18:05 IST)
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