Bhubaneswar, Jan 6: Biju Janata Dal on Friday urged the central government to immediately resume the Prime Minister Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) as its discontinuation will adversely affect the food security of crores of poor people not only in Odisha but also across India.
BJD MP and National Spokesperson Sasmit Patra at a press conference here demanded that the PMGKAY should be continued in the interests of the individual families and their wellness.
Patra condemned. the 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.
He said that 10 kgs of rice per person per month were being provided to 3.25 crore people of Odisha— 5 kg under the 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, the BJD leader said.
He said after Covid pandemic and all savings were exhausted, the poor needed the PMGKAY support for a much longer time. Its stopping will burden them and their families massively.
Patra said 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.
The BJD leader said his party will continue to demand restarting of PMGKAY in Parliament as well as in other forums till the Centre agrees to our demand.
It will also help the farmers and ensure rice procurement and MSP for them.
