Bhubaneswar: The BJD has demanded immediate resumption of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY). Addressing a presser here on Friday, BJD MP Sasmit Patra said that 10 kgs of rice per person per month was being provided to 3.25 crore people of Odisha, 5 kg under National Food Security Act (NFSA) and 5 kg under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY).
“However the Centre has now stopped the PMGKAY. The Centre stopping 5kg free rice/person per month under PMGKAY will badly affect the poor and farmers. It will adversely affect individual households and families,” he said.
Citing an example of a family in Bolangir district, Patra said, “The family of 6 members used to get 60 kgs rice per month. Now they will get only 30kgs. Will it not deprive his family of the nutrition that the family needs? Will it not cast a heavy burden of buying 30kgs of rice at market rate? How will he take care of the elderly.”
He further stated that after the COVID pandemic and all savings exhausted, the poor needed the PMGKAY support for a much longer time. Its stopping will burden them and their families massively.
“Farmers were benefitting due to PMGKAY. Additional 5 kgs rice per person led to rice procurement by Centre; thereby the farmers could sell their surplus rice and benefit from the MSP paid to them towards it. Now the farmers of Odisha face a grave challenge due to the Centre stopping the PMGKAY. No more additional procurement of rice, no more MSP to farmers. Where will they sell their produce?,” Patra questioned.
“BJD strongly condemns this anti-poor, anti-farmer and anti-family attitude of the BJP led Centre in depriving lakhs of families of Odisha and slashing their monthly rice allocation by half and demand that the PMGKAY should be continued in the interests of the individual families and their wellness,” he added.
