80 cr to get free ration for five more months: PM
| Date :01-Jul-2020 |
NEW DELHI,
Each member of a family covered under PMGKAY will get five kilogram wheat or rice, and every family will get one kilogram whole gram per month as well
PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced extension of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), a programme to provide free ration for over 80 crore people, mostly poor, by five more months till November end. In a televised address to the nation, the Prime Minister said over Rs 90,000 crore will be spent on the programme’s extension, and if the last three months expenditure on account of the free ration scheme is added then the total budget will be about Rs 1.5 lakh crore. The scheme was rolled out for three months from April soon after the nationwide lockdown was announced to combat the COVID-19. Modi noted that July marks the beginning of the festive season when people’s needs as well as expenditure increase.
“Keeping all these things in mind, it has been decided to extend Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana up to Diwali and Chhath Puja till the November end,” Modi said on the eve of the start of ‘Unlock-2’ for a graded exit from the national lockdown that was imposed on March 25. ‘Unlock-1’ ended on Tuesday. The Prime Minister said in his 16-minute address that the Central Government is also working on the “one nation, one ration card” initiative which, he added, will benefit people living outside their home for employment and other needs the most. This is Modi’s sixth address to the nation after the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Underscoring the enormity of the free ration scheme, Modi said it covers two and half times the population of the United States, 12 times the population of the United Kingdom and double the population of the European Union.
Each member of a family covered under the scheme will get five kilogram wheat or rice, and every family will get one kilogram whole gram per month as well. Highlighting his Government’s pro-poor measures during the lockdown, he said it had announced Rs 1.75 lakh crore package for the poor earlier, with Rs 31,000 crore transferred to 20 crore poor families under direct benefit transfer and Rs 18,000 crore given to nine crore farmers.
The Union Government, he added, is also spending Rs 50,000 crore for providing employment to people in rural India. With economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic hitting employment across the country and millions of migrant labourers having returned to their native States, the extension of the free ration scheme is expected to provide succour to the poor. It is also expected to help the ruling BJP-led NDA in the poll-bound Bihar, which is home to a huge number of migrants and beneficiaries of the scheme. Modi also credited farmers and honest taxpayers for the Government’s success in providing free ration to the needy and poor. While farmers produced enough grains, contribution from honest taxpayers has helped the poor coping with such a big crisis successfully, he said.
“On behalf of all the poor of the country, I express my heartfelt gratitude to all the taxpayers and farmers, and also salute them. In the coming days, we will further strengthen our efforts and continuously work to empower the poor, downtrodden and deprived sections of society. While taking all the precautions, we will further expand the economic activities,” Modi said. The nation’s top priority during the lockdown was to ensure that no one remains hungry, and the Central Government, State Governments and civil society, all did their best, he added. The PM said his Government will continue to work ceaselessly for ‘Aatamnirbhar Bharat.’ “We all will be vocal for Local. With this pledge and commitment, the 130 crore people of this country will have to work together and move forward together.”
Speaking on the coronavirus situation, he said India is comparatively in a better position compared to many countries of the world, as timely imposition of lockdown and other decisions have saved lakhs of lives. But, he also expressed concern that since ‘Unlock-1’ began there is an increasing “negligence” in personal and social behaviour. “Earlier, we were very careful with respect to wearing of masks, social distancing and washing of hands for 20 seconds. But today, when we need to be more careful, increasing negligence is a cause of worry,” he said.
The extension of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) shows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to the welfare of the poor, BJP President J P Nadda said on Tuesday. Underlining that Modi is leading the country with alertness and sensitivity during the COVID-19 crisis, Nadda, in a series of tweets, said the Prime Minister should be applauded for saving lives and livelihood amid this pandemic. Describing the extension of PMGKAY as a visionary step, the BJP chief said this shows Modi’s commitment to the welfare of the poor. PM has ensured no one sleeps hungry in country: Javadekar on extension of Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ensured no one sleeps hungry in the country, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Tuesday, hailing the extension of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY).
“No other country in the world has such a food security scheme. This will take care of food for everybody,” he said. This will ensure no one sleeps hungry in the country, the Union Minister said and added that the Prime Minister should be congratulated for this. On the extension of the PMGKAY, Modi said it will cost the Government Rs 90,000 crore more.
COVID-19 vaccination must be affordable, universal: PM
NEW DELHI ;
PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday reviewed India’s preparations for vaccinating its vast population against COVID-19 once a vaccine is available and enunciated four guiding principles for it, including ensuring affordable and universal vaccination. Modi chaired a high-level meeting to review planning and preparations for vaccination against the novel coronavirus.
“An important subject that was discussed was the creation of a tech platform that would complement vaccination at scale across the nation,” the Prime Minister tweeted. At the meeting, the current status of vaccine development efforts were also reviewed and the Prime Minister highlighted India’s commitment to play an enabling role in the vaccination efforts against COVID-19, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement. PM Modi noted that vaccination of India’s vast and diverse population will need to factor in issues, including those related to management of medical supply chains, prioritisation of at-risk populations, coordination between different agencies involved in the process, as well as the role of private sector and civil society, it said.
The Prime Minister enunciated four guiding principles that will form the foundation of this national effort, the PMO said. He stated that vulnerable groups should be identified and prioritised for early vaccination, for example doctors, nurses, healthcare workers, non-medical frontline COVID-19 warriors, and vulnerable people among the general population. Another guiding principle enunciated by the Prime Minister was vaccination of “anyone, anywhere” should take place without imposition of any domicile related restrictions for getting the vaccine. The third principle enunciated by the Prime Minister was that vaccination must be affordable and universal and no person should be left behind, according to the PMO.
According to the fourth principle, the entire process from production to vaccination should be monitored and supported in real time with the use of technology. Prime Minister Modi directed officials to evaluate in a broad manner the available technology options which can form the backbone of the national endeavour to vaccinate all in the most efficient and timely manner. The Prime Minister directed that detailed planning for such large scale vaccination should be undertaken immediately.
In a significant development on Monday, Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech said the country’s ‘first’ indigenous COVID-19 vaccine COVAXIN, developed by it in collaboration with Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and National Institute of Virology, has got nod for human clinical trials from the Drug Controller General of India. The Phase I and Phase II clinical trials of the vaccine for SARS-CoV-2, approved after pre-clinical studies demonstrated safety and immune response, would start across the country next month.