Trade Union demands free rations for migrant workers without ration cards

In order to minimise the economic hardships being faced by migrant workers amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) president KN Tripathi urged the central government to provide free rations to those migrants workers also who don't have their ration cards.

New Delhi: As the country is battling with a disastrous outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) president KN Tripathi on Friday urged the Union Government to provide rations to those migrants workers who don't have ration cards. He said that there are more than 8 crore migrant workers who don't have their ration cards and "due to which they are unable to get free ration under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY).'

He also urged the central government to provide rations to such workers from July to December. "I also demand from the government that Rs 5,000 should be deposited in the bank accounts of each of these workers for the next six months so that they don't have to suffer for food and other essentials amid the Covid crisis," he added.

It is worth mentioning here that last week, the Cabinet approved a proposal to extend the PMGKAY to provide free ration to over 80 crore people, mostly poor, by five more months till November-end. The PMGKAY was reintroduced for two months till June this year in order to minimise the economic hardships being faced by the poor PDS (Public Distribution System) beneficiaries during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.