COVID-19 lockdown: 11.50 lakh quintal ration provided to 1.19 Cr beneficiaries in 2 months

Srinagar:To help people during the lockdown period, the Department of Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA) has supplied about 11.50 lakh quintals of ration to more than 1.19 crore beneficiaries in Jammu and Kashmir through its public distribution network in March and April 2020.
Out of 1.19 cr people, 72 lakh beneficiaries have been provided free food grains. FCS&CA, being an essential services department, performed its duties actively while providing ration during COVID-19 Pandemic situation.
The department not only actively performed its routine duties, besides, it also ensured ration delivery to the consumers at their door-steps and provided ration to Deputy Commissioners of the Union Territory to meet out the requirement of migrant labourers, distressed workers, quarantine centers etc.
The department has received 6494.28 quintals of pulses (Channa whole and Moong) and the same will be distributed among AAY, PHH and BPL families for free-of-cost shortly.
In Kashmir division, the department ensured the supply of gas cylinders at door steps and distributed 10.40 lakh LPG cylinders among the consumers during these two months.
The Department issued two months advance ration (April and May) of 6.50 lakh quintals to 68.02 lakh beneficiaries in Kashmir division. The department under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojna (PMGKAY) also provided free 2.13 lakh quintals of ration for the month of April 2020 to 40.47 lakh beneficiaries covered under AAY, PHH and BPL categories. Furthermore, 4 lakh quintals of additional free ration would be distributed for the month of May and June 2020 to these people.
The department provided about 3000 quintals of rice to deputy commissioners to meet the requirement of migrant labourers, distressed workers, quarantine centers and others. The department lifted/distributed 43.68 lakh liters of kerosene oil among the beneficiaries in Kashmir division.
Similarly, in Jammu division, the department issued two months advance ration (April and May) to the tune of 5.76 lakh quintals to 51.65 lakh beneficiaries.
The department under PMGKAY also provided free 1.40 lakh quintals of ration to 31.54 lakh beneficiaries covered under AAY, PHH and BPL categories for the month of April 2020.
The department also provided about 1000 quintals of rice and 1500 quintals of Atta to Red Cross Society Jammu for distribution through a committee constituted by deputy commissioner Jammu to the poor and stranded labour/daily wagers free of cost.
The department also distributed about 3.01 lakh masks and 45,000 hand sanitisers among various Fair Price shop dealers, labourers, K-Oil dealers, transporters etc. Besides, the department also issued masks and sanitisers to Police department, Labour department, PHE Department, PDD, department ULB etc.
In order to keep a check on prices of essentials in the market, the department activated monitoring and enforcement wings and they imposed fines of Rs 7.28 lakh on the erring traders between March 25 and April 28.