Centre allots 93007.95 q of PMGKAY rice

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, May 9 : The Government of India has allocated 93007.95 quintals of rice per month for May-June period to Manipur under Prime Minister Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY)- Phase III.
The allocation is meant for distribution of additional 5 kg of rice per person free of cost to all beneficiaries covered under NFSA (AAY and PHH) in addition to NFSA allocation for a period of two months, May and June, said Director of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution (CAF&PD) in a press release.
The scheme is operated to alleviate the hardships faced by the poor due to economic disruption caused by COVID-19 pandemic, it said.
The scheme will benefit all the 'Ration Card Holders' and enlisted members but will not cover persons not possessing a valid 'Ration Card of NFSA' as per the guidelines of the scheme.
As per the release, there are a total of 176699 AAY (Antyodaya Anna Yojana) beneficiaries and 1683460 PHH (Priority Households) beneficiaries across 16 districts of the State.
Of this total 1860159 beneficiaries, Imphal West district has the highest number of beneficiaries (AAY: 18258 and PHH: 377120) and Noney district has the least (AAY : 1473 and PHH: 17624).
District authorities concerned through transport contractors appointed by the CAF&PD Department should be responsible for lifting and safe transportation of allocated PMGKAY rice quota from FCI depot to respective Fair Price Shops (FPS) within the validity period, the release said.
It further informed FPS owners to draw out distribution plans at the local or ground level in consultation with beneficiaries for distribution of rice under supervision of DSOs concerned.
Social distancing norms should be maintained during the distribution process of PMGKAY and NSFA and the beneficiaries should be encouraged to wear masks and use hand sanitizers, it said.
FPS should distribute the foodgrains to the beneficiaries on all seven days of the week between 9 am and 1 pm and 3 pm and 6 pm to ensure uninterrupted supply of foodgrains to PDS beneficiaries, it added.
Informing DSOs and Civil Supply Inspectors concerned of CAF&PD to conduct regular inspection of the shops to ensure FPSs under their respective jurisdiction operate strictly, the CAF&PD Director also instructed all DSOs/ADs to take action against defaulting FPS in accordance with rules in place. DSOs were also instructed to submit a daily monitoring report on lifting and distribution of NFSA and PMGKAY rice to the Director of CAF&PD.