Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Monday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sought to extend the distribution of monthly free foodgrains to vulnerable sections of the population till September. “The Union government must consider extending the provision of free food grains for a further period of three months, that is, July to September 2020. Many State governments have asked for the same. Furthermore, since a significant number of poor households continue to be excluded from the PDS system, temporary ration cards must be issued to all such households,” she said. Urging the government to take note of the suggestions, Ms. Gandhi said millions of Indians were facing food insecurity and slipping into poverty because of the three-month lockdown.

Source: The Hindu June 22, 2020 17:15 UTC