Lucknow: Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has announced to distribute free ration free of cost for two months in May and June to Antyodya cardholders through the Public Distribution System (PDS).
The state government said that this free ration will be provided in addition to free ration being made available to ration cardholders by the Central government under the NFSA in May and June.
“My government is committed not only to save the lives of the people but also to ensure that no one sleeps without food as the current spell of pandemic and weekend lockdowns may affect their livelihood,” stated the Chief Minister during a meeting of the Team-11 on Wednesday.
The free ration decision came after the Allahabad High Court again directed the state government to impose a two-week lockdown in cities facing the brunt of the coronavirus crisis.
Sources claim that it is an indication that the government may have to enforce lockdown if the number of active cases and deaths did not go down in the next couple of days.
The food and civil supplies department has been directed to make a plan and ensure the distribution of free two-month ration to the poor and needy. Directives have also been issued to supply ration kits to migrant labourers and their families who returned back to their homes from different states.
The Chief Minister said that the state government is making all necessary arrangements to win the battle against the second wave of coronavirus. “We will win the battle again like last year if all citizens of the state strictly followed the Covid-19 protocol to help the government break the chain,” he appealed.
He claimed that UP has become the first state in the country to have conducted 4 crore covid-19 tests. “I have directed health officials to double the number by setting up more labs,” he said.
