Cabinet approves free allocation of food grains to migrants

Ravi S Singh

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 20

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday gave ex post facto approval for the allocation of food grains from the Central pool to approximately eight crore “migrants/stranded migrants” free of cost in May and June under the “Atma Nirbhar Bharat” package.

The quantity approved is 5 kg per person for two months – May and June, 2020.

It would entail an estimated food subsidy of about Rs 2,982.27 crore.

Further, the expenditure towards intra-state transportation and handling charges and dealer’s margin/additional dealer margin will account for about Rs 127.25 crore which will borne fully by the Central Government.

Accordingly, the total subsidy from the Union Government is estimated at about of Rs 3,109.52 crore.

The allocation will ease the hardships faced by migrant/stranded migrants due to economic disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This was also a persistent demand from various quarters, including trade unions, to provide migrants, especially labourers food, as a relief to them due to loss of jobs during the national lockdown engendered by COVID-19 pandemic.