Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) senior leader Aijaz Ahmad Khan on Thursday welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement regarding extension in free ration scheme till November end.
In a statement, Khan demanded that Gujjar and Bakerwal community besides landless and economically downtrodden sections of the society who were yet to be covered under economic survey should be allowed to avail the benefits of Pradhan Mantri GaribK alyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) in view of the prevailing pandemic.
The JKAP leader observed that the extension in the scheme will benefit a huge population across the country including Jammu and Kashmir. “This timely and humanitarian initiative taken by the government of India assumes more significance because the necessary lockdown in view of the COVID pandemic has created huge difficulties especially for the economically weaker sections of the country,” Khan said.
He said most of the Gujjar and Bakerwal families along with livestock remain in constant migratory process from one place to another in search of food and shelter.
“Thousands of families belonging to scheduled tribes besides landless farmers have either been left out of the economic survey conducted by the government for free ration scheme or are still without the requisite ration cards to get benefited from this historic policy,” he said.
He stressed on the universalization of the public distribution system so that the genuine families who were not in the economic survey or do not possess the requisite ration cards receive the free grains under the centrally sponsored scheme.