Will give 10-kg free ration to poor: Kharge

Lucknow (UP): Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday announced that if the INDIA bloc is voted to power, it will double the quantity of free rations provided by the BJP government to the poor.

Referring to the Modi government scheme providing five kilograms of ration to the poor every month, Kharge said, "The Congress brought the Food Security Act, you did nothing. You are giving five kg, if INDIA bloc government is formed, we will give 10 kg of ration to the poor." Addressing a joint press conference here with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Congress president, said "I am saying this with guarantee because we have already done it in states, including Telangana and Karnataka."

In a campaign speech recently, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had pitched for more employment opportunities for youngsters, saying the Modi government's scheme to provide free ration to the poor every month was not a solution. "This will not build your future, this won't make you self-reliant," she had said.

BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, list the government's free ration scheme in every political rally. The party has even mentioned in its manifesto that it will continue the scheme till 2029 after coming to power. Yadav has also promised in several of his rallies that the quality of ration distributed to the poor will be improved if the INDIA bloc comes to power.