Slow distribution of free ration in state alleged

SHILLONG/ NEW DELHI: With the media reports of Meghalaya among other few states distributing less than one per cent of the allocated food grains, the state government said that the situation has improved. According to reports, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious free ration scheme worth Rs 3.16 lakh crore rupees has failed to take off and make an impact on the ground, as 11 states including Meghalaya have distributed only less than one percent of the allocated food grains to the migrants during the lockdown in the wake of COVID-19. Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Ladakh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Tripura besides Meghalaya are the states which distributed less than one percent of the food they lifted, showed the data of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. However, when contacted, an official with the Food and Civil Supplies department said that the distribution of food grains is taking time but it has to be a process ensuring accountability through community participation and verification. According to the official, the percentage of distribution of rice against lifting under Atmanirbhar Bharat as on July 2 is 11.11. The quantity of rice distributed to the beneficiaries is 238.237 MT and the number of beneficiaries is 27,288. The percentage of chana (gram) distributed against lifting is 15.07 and the number of households benefitted is 7463. The quantity of chana distributed to households is 12.702 MT.