“This is tragic given that India has large buffer stock of food grains precisely for exigencies like the current pandemic,” Gandhi said.
New Delhi| Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Monday wrote another letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking him to ensure that “no one faces hunger” during the coronavirus lockdown. Though Sonia welcomed the centre’s decision to provide grains at low prices, she asked the scheme to be extended till September considering the “chronic economic distress”.
“I hope this letter finds you well. Lakhs of vulnerable people across the country face chronic food insecurity due to the lockdown. This is tragic given that India has large buffer stock of food grains precisely for exigencies like the current pandemic,” Gandhi said.
“I welcome your decision to provide free of cost, 5kg grain/person in addition to the entitlements under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) from April-June, 2020,” she further added.
Sonia Gandhi also suggested a couple of measures to the central government to ease the economic pressure on the poor due to the “adverse impact of the lockdown and its prolonged impact of people’s livelihoods”.
“Firstly, the provision of 10 kg grains/person to NFSA (National Food Security Act) beneficiaries must be extended for an additional period of 3 months i.e. till September, 2020. Given the chronic economic distress faced by these beneficiaries, the food entitlements may be provided free of cost,” Sonia said.
She said that the current crisis has pushed many relatively food secure families into food insecurity and poverty, adding that the people who don’t have NFSA cards should also be provided with the benefits for 6 months.
“The above measures are critical to safeguard people against food inflation, at a juncture where supply chain disruptions are causing price rise …In our fight against the pandemic we must ensure that no one faces hunger,” she further added.
The lockdown to control the spread of coronavirus is already burdening the economy, which was suffering from slowdown before the crisis began. The majority of businesses and shops have been closed with exceptions of essential commodities.
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