Ahead of the general election set to take place next year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an official announcement in an election rally that took place in Durg, Chhatisgarh – about extending the duration of the free ration scheme by five more years. As a way to provide relief to consumers who have been burdened with the rising prices of food grains like rice and wheat due to exportation, the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojna (PMGKAY) supplied 5 kilos of food grains free of cost to eligible ration card holders, in addition to the pre-existent quota that is distributed as part of the National Food Security Act (NFSA).
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The free ration programme that was introduced in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, currently supplies and aims to provide free ration to around 800 crore citizens. Addressing the poll rally in Chhatisgarh, where the state elections are all set to take place this month, the ‘Modi Ki Guarantee 2023’ manifesto also includes subsidies on cooking gas, health insurance schemes and sponsored visits to the Ram temple in Ayodhya, as part of its list of promises.
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One of the other highlights that was also aimed at the people of the state was the ‘Invest Chattisgarh’ initiative, which hopes to boost economic growth and attract investment opportunities. The PMGKAY which merged with the UPA-introduced NFSA in January this year, covers two kinds of ration card holders – Antyodaya Anna Yojana, which provides 35 kilos of food grains per month, without taking the number of family members into account; as well as the Priority Households which assigns rations according to the number of members per family, with an allowance of 5 kilos per person.