News Desk: The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi on Tuesday addressed the nation and announced the extension of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana till the end of November.
The PM’s address to the nation came against the backdrop of India entering “Unlock 2.0” from July 1 for which guidelines were issued by the Union Home Ministry on Monday night.
The Prime Minister emphasized that the provision of food to those in need during lockdown has been the foremost priority of the country. As soon as the lockdown was announced, the government brought about PM Garib KalyanYojana, under which a package of ₹ 1.75 Lakh Crore for the poor was announced.
He noted that in the last three months, ₹ 31,000 Crores has been transferred in the Jan Dhan accounts of almost 20 Crore poor families. He also said that ₹ 18,000 Crores has been transferred to the bank accounts of more than 9 Crore farmers and that ₹ 50,000 Crores is being spent on PM Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan, which has been started to provide employment opportunities.
Extension of PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana till November.
Prime Minister observed that the decision to provide free ration for three months to more than 80 Crore people by providing 5 Kg free rice/wheat to each member of the family. And also providing 1 Kg pulses to each family, per month.
He said that this has made the entire world take notice. The number of people who were provided free ration is several times the population of many large countries.
Prime Minister noted that with the commencement of the rainy season, most of the work takes place in the agriculture sector. Also, several festivals will take place one after the other which includes Guru Purnima, Rakshabandhan, Shri Krishna Janmashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi, Onam, Dussehra, Deepawali, Chhath Puja, and many others.
He announced that keeping in mind that requirements as well as expenditure increase during this time, the government has decided to extend PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana till Deepawali and Chhath Puja. This means that the scheme will continue to remain applicable from July till the end of November.
During this five-month period, more than 80 Crore people will be provided 5 Kg free wheat/rice per month. Along with providing 5Kg free rice/wheat to each member of a family, 1 Kg free whole chana will also be provided to each family per month.
The government will spend more than ₹ 90,000 crores towards the extension of the scheme, the Prime Minister said, adding that if the amount spent towards it in the previous three months is added together, a total of almost ₹ 1.5 Lakh Crore would be spent towards the scheme. He credited and thanked the hard-working farmers and honest taxpayers for making it possible for the government to procure and distribute free food grains.
Prime Minister underlined that the country is moving towards the institution of ‘one nation, one ration card’, which will be of immense benefit to the poor who travel to other states in search of work.
Prime Minister also said that in the coming times, the government will continue to take further steps to empower the poor and the needy. Economic activities will also be enhanced, with due precautions in place. He reiterated the pledge to work towards Atmanirbhar Bharat and to be vocal for local, while also asking people to be careful, use mask/face cover, and continue to maintain ‘do gaz doori’.
However, the Congress on Tuesday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his address to the nation.
They said that it lacked substance and could just “have been another government notification”. The party also said the Prime Minister is too afraid to talk about China in his national address.
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