Punjab CM urges PM Modi to extend PMGKAY for another six months

Keeping in view ongoing Covid-19 crisis, Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh urged prime minister Narendra Modi to extend the benefit of free wheat and pulses to the beneficiaries of National Food Security Act (NFSA) under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) for another six months.

New Delhi:Amid 'Unlock 1.0' Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called a meeting of all Chief Ministers on June 16-17 and a day before meeting Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh wrote a letter to him.

Captain Amarinder Singh has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to extend the benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) for another six months, in view of the COVID crisis, to facilitate free wheat and pulses to the beneficiaries of National Food Security Act (NFSA).

In a letter to the Prime Minister, Captain Amarinder said the extension would go a long way in ensuring that the poor and the needy do not sleep hungry and also enable them to make both ends meet.

The Chief Minister urged Modi to advise the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Government of India, accordingly. Underlining the need to further extend the benefit, the Chief Minister has pointed out that with the lockdown now touching almost three months, the economic situation of the people, especially the poor, had not improved much even after resumption of industrial activities in Punjab.

Of the 2.60 lakh industrial units in the state, more than 2.32 lakh units had resumed operations, but the loss of wages over the past few months had severely crippled the purchasing power of the people, especially the poor NFSA beneficiaries.

Prime minister has taken five meetings with Chief Ministers after March 25. This is not the first letter to CM to PM in lockdown. On April 6, he wrote for the release of GST arrears worth 6752 crores. On April 10 a letter was sent to PM requesting to allocate funds for virology centre.

Notably, on April 14, he urged PM to reconsider orders on full wages to workers. On May 1, he wrote for the arrangement of trains for migrants. In another letter on May 8, he sought exit strategy for lockdown.