IN THE first major decision of the Yogi Adityanath Government 2.0 in Uttar Pradesh, the State Cabinet decided on Saturday to extend the free ration scheme initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic by three more months. The programme was to expire in March. A total of 15 crore people are benefiting from the programme in the State, Adityanath said. Under the scheme, people will continue to get pulses, salt, sugar etc., along with foodgrains, for the next three months. The scheme of free ration distribution is believed to have had a tremendous impact in the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) victory in the recently-concluded Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.

 

“During the COVID-19 period, the Prime Minister had started the Pradhan Mantri Anna Yojana for every citizen, benefitting 80 crore people of the country and 15 crore people of Uttar Pradesh,” Adityanath told reporters after the Cabinet meeting. “The State Government had also started a scheme on its own for the ‘antyodaya’ beneficiaries and the eligible households from April 2020,” he said. Under the scheme, the “antyodaya” families were getting 35 kg of foodgrains and the eligible households were getting foodgrains at the rate of five kg per unit. Along with this, the State Government had also provided one kg of pulses, one kg of refined oil and one kg of iodised salt to each family, the Chief Minister said, adding that one kg of sugar was also being provided to the “antyodaya” families.

 

He said the scheme was only till March 2022 and the cabinet has decided to continue it for the next three months. Governor administers oath of pro-tem speaker to BJP MLA Ramapati Shastri: UTTAR Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel administered the oath of pro-tem speaker to senior BJP leader Ramapati Shastri at the Raj Bhawan here on Saturday. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was among those present on the occasion, sources in the Raj Bhawan said. Shastri, the BJP MLA from Mankapur in Gonda district, will now administer the oath to the newly-elected legislators of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly.