Govt to provide free ration to poor people for one year under food law
New Delhi, Dec 23: In a major decision, the government on Friday decided to provide free ration to 81.35 crore poor people under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) for one year.
Under NFSA, also called the food law, the government currently provides 5 kilogram of food grains per person per month at Rs 2-3 per kg. The families covered under Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) get 35 kg of food grains per month.
Rice is given to poor persons under NFSA at Rs 3 per kg and wheat at Rs 2 per kg.
Briefing reporters about the decision taken by the Union Cabinet, Food Minister Piyush Goyal said the Centre will bear the entire burden of providing free food grains under NFSA.
The annual cost to the exchequer is estimated at Rs 2 lakh crore.
Meanwhile, the government decided not to extend the free ration scheme Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), which ends on December 31.
Under PMGKAY, five kilogram of food grains per person per month is provided free to 81.35 crore beneficiaries covered under NFSA.
This is over and above the monthly distribution of highly subsidised food grains under NFSA.
Government officials described the latest Cabinet decision as a "new year gift for the country's poor", saying that over 80 crore people will now get free food grains under NFSA.
The beneficiaries will not have to pay a single rupee to get food grains. The Centre will now spend around Rs 2 lakh crore per year on this scheme, they added.
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MediaOne TV Facebook page restored after block linked to ‘government request’
Kochi: The official Facebook page of Malayalam news channel MediaOne TV has been restored after being blocked without prior notice, the broadcaster said on Wednesday.
The channel was quoted by Maktoob as saying that the restriction was lifted automatically, with Meta Platforms informing it that the action had been taken following a “government request” which has now expired or been reversed.
The development came shortly after the channel approached the Kerala High Court challenging the blocking of its page, terming it arbitrary and in violation of legal provisions and judicial precedents. The High Court had issued notice to Meta via email hours before the restriction was withdrawn.
In its petition, the channel said access to its Facebook page had been restricted for users in India without citing any specific content or alleged violation. It contended that while individual posts may be taken down under applicable a rule, blocking an entire page goes beyond the scope of such measures.
The incident followed an earlier action taken against the channel in 2022, when the Ministry of Information and transmitting prohibited it from transmitting. It cited national security concerns regarding the Ministry of Home Affairs' refusal of security clearance.
The Supreme Court of India in April 2023 set aside the ban, observing that national security claims cannot be made without substantive basis and that criticism of government policies does not render a media outlet anti-national.
