Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday addressed the nation and announced an extension of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, a scheme to provide free ration to the poor, till November 2020 as India’s fight against COVID-19 continues.
Announcing the extension of the free ration scheme till the end of November, the Prime Minister, in his address to the nation appealed to the people to not be negligent and observe social distancing norms and other precautions religiously.
In his various addresses to the nation over the past four months, Modi has spoken about the challenges of COVID-19 pandemic and steps taken by the government.
The Home Ministry on Monday issued new guidelines for ‘Unlock 2’ which will come into force from July 1 extending the process of phased re-opening of activities including expanding in a calibrated manner domestic flights and passenger trains.
The government will spend a total of Rs 1.5 lakh crore on the scheme.
The Prime Minister said that because of timely lockdown India is better placed than many other countries and has saved many lives.
The current status of Indian and global vaccine development efforts was also reviewed at the meeting. Modi highlighted India’s responsibility and commitment to the global community to play an enabling role in global vaccination efforts against COVID19.
Also read: Facebook working on VR Headsets to Make it Thinner and Lighter
PM Modi also expressed gratitude towards farmers and the honest taxpayers of India, without whom the government would not have been able to provide help to the poor.
