The Assam government is planning the distribution of pulses and sugar through ration cards. Government has taken this decision to help stabilize their prices during spikes, said Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday. The CM launched the first phase of new ration card distributions. The first phase of new ration card covers a total of 49 newly delimited assembly constituencies. The event took place at Jalukbari and Central Guwahati constituencies. The Chief Minister’s office (CMO) posted on X where they wrote, “Today, HCM Dr. @himantabiswa inaugurated the first phase […]
Assam Plans To Distribute Pulses And Sugar Through Ration Cards
The Assam government is planning the distribution of pulses and sugar through ration cards. Government has taken this decision to help stabilize their prices during spikes, said Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday.
The CM launched the first phase of new ration card distributions. The first phase of new ration card covers a total of 49 newly delimited assembly constituencies. The event took place at Jalukbari and Central Guwahati constituencies.
The Chief Minister’s office (CMO) posted on X where they wrote, “Today, HCM Dr. @himantabiswa inaugurated the first phase of new ration card distribution in 49 newly designated assembly constituencies, reaffirming the government’s commitment to uplifting vulnerable sections of society” By December state government has taken decision with which each beneficiary will receive 5 kg of free rice. This ensures food security for the needy citizens.
Sarma stated that state government had decided in September to issue new ration cards to 20 lakh beneficiaries. And as of now, total of 7 lakh beneficiaries have received their cards. By December 28, around 18-19 lakh new beneficiaries are expected to be covered.
With new ration cards now linked to Aadhaar, they will also offer other benefits. The other benefits includes medical insurance and subsidized LPG cylinders as well. For this reason, these newly issued cards are gradually becoming a ‘family identity document.’ Sarma mentioned that the government is exploring the possibility of providing pulses and sugar through ration cards when prices rise. Additionally this will also help with the price stabilization.
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While speaking on ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ (ONORC) scheme, Sarma highlighted its significance. “It is an innovation of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The net result of the initiative is that if a particular family lives in two places within or outside the state, ration can be divided and drawn.” “It is through an Aadhaar-enabled, centrally governed portal and Assam is a part of it,” he added.
The Chief Minister also shared an image of Karishma Kashyap, one of the 40 divyang (differently-abled) individuals who received ration cards, assuring them of free healthcare and food grains.
This ration card distribution is part of the government’s “12 days of development” initiative. This will help in benefiting around 12 lakh people in the entire state. Sarma added that, in Assam, ration cardholders can access multiple benefits, including free food grains, healthcare, subsidized LPG, the Orunodoi scheme, and free insurance.
The government aims to extend ration cards to an additional 20 lakh people, covering about two-thirds of Assam’s population under this social security scheme, the CM said.
