THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Over 39 lakh families in the state will be eligible for the Central government’s free foodgrain supply as part of its plans to help the poor affected by the second wave of the pandemic. The Centre had recently announced that it would provide foodgrain to around 80 crore beneficiaries across the country.
Five kg of foodgrain will be supplied free of cost to the beneficiaries under the Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana for Rs 26,000 crore, according to the Centre. An officer with the state civil supplies department said families under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and priority household (PHH) categories in the state will be eligible for the assistance.
“This will be in addition to the existing supply to them. As per the information, the additional allocation will be for May and June,” he said.As per the available information, the officer said, there will not be a special allocation for migrant labourers as was given last year. The state civil supplies department caters to 90.5 lakh families with 3.65 crore beneficiaries. The number of beneficiaries covered under the AAY and PHH is 22 lakh and 1.3 crore, respectively.