New Delhi: The Delhi government has approved a proposal to provide free sugar to the poor, in a move aimed at alleviating the hardships faced by underprivileged families and ensuring food security for all.
"Recognising the unprecedented challenges posed by the current economic situation and inflation, the Delhi government had previously taken measures to ensure no one suffers from food insecurity. As part of these efforts, regular NFSA ration under the Public Distribution System (PDS) was distributed free of cost to the PDS beneficiaries for specific periods, starting from April 2020 to November 2020, and later extended from May 2021 to May 2022," it said.
Besides the free food grain, including wheat and rice, as part of the National Food Security Act (NFSA), the Delhi government provides free wheat and rice to all NFSA beneficiaries. In addition, the Delhi government has chosen to distribute free sugar to Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) participants as part of the sugar subsidy scheme.
From January 2023 through December 2023, sugar will be provided at no cost to AAY cardholders for an entire year.
Free distribution of sugar under the Sugar Subsidy Scheme, specifically 1 kg of sugar to Antyodaya Anna Yojana category cardholders, has been approved by the Council of Ministers, according to an official statement, in order to ensure the scheme's smooth implementation.
It also said that about 280,290 people, including 68,747 people with National Food Security cards, will gain greatly from this compassionate decision.
The budget for putting this plan into action is expected to be about Rs 1.11 crore.—Inputs from Agencies