The department of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution (CAFPD) on Monday announced that during the 10-day curfew, monthly rations will be delivered to the homes of people holding ration cards so that they may receive their due entitlements of rice under NFSA and PMGKAY.
FPS agents under the supervision of the DSO of CAFPD department have been entrusted to deliver the monthly rations to the homes of the eligible families, stated a release issued by director (CAF and PD) Ranjan Yumnam.
The distribution mechanism will be employed with the active support of the Police department and local civil organisations so that the restrictions of the curfew will not hinder the delivery of the rice to the public, it stated.
It stated that for those who are not covered by the NFSA or PMGKAY (i.e. people not possessing Ration Cards), their requirement of food grains will be met from the OMSS stock on payment basis at Rs 22 per kg, it added.
It further stated that the FPS agents who are in close proximity to the local residents will identify the households who are willing to purchase OMSS rice from the CAFPD department and assess the quantum of such OMSS rice required.
It mentioned that under NFSA and AAY schemes, households irrespective of the number of family members are entitled to receive 35 kg of rice per month and all PHH beneficiaries shall receive 5 kg of rice per person per month.
The issue price of NFSA rice is Rs 3 per kg which is to be borne by the beneficiaries themselves. Under PMGKAY, Ration Card holders/beneficiaries will be provided additional rice alias 5 kg per person per month free of cost per month till November, 2021 over and above their monthly NFSA quota.
It stated that as the number of active cases of COVID-19 rises rapidly in Manipur in an uncontrolled manner, there is a need to completely enforce the curfew being imposed in all the districts from July 18 to 27 to prevent the situation from deteriorating further and save lives.
It is imperative that people stay indoors and not venture out of their homes unnecessarily except for essential and medical reasons. In this regard, availability of food in the households is a prerequisite in persuading people to remain indoors and meet the objectives of the curfew.
The chief minister has also appealed to the public to observe the curfew in letter and spirit, and follow Covid appropriate behaviours like wearing of masks and refraining from attending crowded places, it added.
