NASHIK :
The Atmanirbhar Bharat package to provide food grains free of cost for two months to the needy, poor families and migrant labourers who have applied for ration card but still not received the card and those who are not covered under NFSA or State scheme PDS cards, will receive 5kg of rice for free for the months of May and June, informed state food and civil supplies minister Chhagan Bhujbal on Wednesday.
Bhujbal had raised the issue with union minister Ram Vilas Paswan demanding foodgrains for free for the homeless, migrants and stranded poor people who don’t have ration card. Following this, the central government finally gave approval to provide free rice to the cardless citizens.
The foodgrains will be distributed offline to the beneficiaries without ration cards. The rice will be distributed to the beneficiaries after seeking their Aadhaar card number or any other identity card issued by the government.
It will be the responsibility of the concerned district collector to ensure adequate staff for distribution of rice at each distribution center. For this, help of the members of the vigilance committee in that particular area, the concerned corporators in the municipal area, the gram sevak and sarpanch in the rural area, will be taken. It will be the responsibility of the head of each ration center to ensure adequate manpower to distribute rice to the beneficiaries by following the physical distancong rules to avoid rush.
Under the scheme over 70 lakh poor and needy citizens of the state who do not have ration card will be benefitted. For this 35000 Mt of rice will be procured from central pool.
The total estimated cost of about Rs. 3500 crore for implementation of this scheme will be fully borne by the Government of India. All India allocation of food grains under this scheme is 8 lakh metric tonnes (LMT), the government said.
