The below-poverty-line family had run through the subsidised monthly rations they had received through the public distribution system, and the food grains for April had yet to arrive. However, the nationwide lockdown meant Hussain had been without work for weeks and had no money left to buy food for his family. He had a chauki (cot) made of sheesham (Indian rosewood) planks that had been the envy of his village, Khemkaran Sarai. Mukesh Kumar, the state food and consumer protection department’s marketing officer for Kurtha block, waved the question away. “We gave Hussain 40kg food grains on Wednesday (April 8) and promised more whenever he needed any.

Source: The Telegraph April 14, 2020 22:18 UTC