Union Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Tuesday said state governments should adopt doorstep delivery of PDS ration to beneficiaries in flood affected areas. Floods have caused havoc in some states like Assam, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Kerala. Several parts of the country have received heavy rains and many rivers are flowing above the danger mark, aggravating an already dangerous situation.
"Wherever there is a flood-like situation and people are leaving for safer places, the state governments should provide doorstep delivery of PDS ration," Paswan told PTI. The beneficiaries in flood-hit states are not able to access ration from the Public Distribution System (PDS). Such states should at least ensure doorstep delivery of ration in these difficult times, he said.
The Central government provides 5 kg foodgrains at an highly subsidised rate of Rs 1-3 per kg to more than 81 crore beneficiaries across India under the National Food Security Act (NFSA). It is also supplying additional 5 kg foodgrains to each NFSA beneficiary and 1 kg pulses per family at free of cost under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Anna Yojana (PMGAY) till November to tide over the economic hardship created in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic.
"Poor beneficiaries in states facing flood-kind of situation should not be deprived of their basic ration. The states should take immediate steps in this regard," Paswan said. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of widespread and very heavy rainfall in western Himalayan region, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and East Rajasthan on Tuesday and Wednesday. There is a forecast for heavy rains till Friday in Gujarat and parts of Madhya Pradesh.