New Delhi, Jul 21 (IANS): The Delhi government has approved a proposal to provide free sugar to the poor, in a move aimed at alleviating the hardships faced by underprivileged families and ensuring food security for all.

"Recognising the unprecedented challenges posed by the current economic situation and inflation, the Delhi government had previously taken measures to ensure no one suffers from food insecurity. As part of these efforts, regular NFSA ration under the Public Distribution System (PDS) was distributed free of cost to the PDS beneficiaries for specific periods, starting from April 2020 to November 2020, and later extended from May 2021 to May 2022," it said.

Besides the free food grain, including wheat and rice, to all NFSA beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), by the Centre, the Delhi government has decided to provide free sugar to Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) beneficiaries under the sugar subsidy scheme.

The distribution of sugar to AAY cardholders will be made available free of cost for a period of one year, effective from January 2023 to December 2023.

To facilitate the seamless implementation of this scheme, the matter of free distribution of sugar under the Sugar Subsidy Scheme, specifically 1 kg of sugar to Antyodaya Anna Yojana category cardholders, was brought before the Council of Ministers for consideration and subsequently approved, an official statement said.

Approximately 2,80,290 beneficiaries, including 68,747 National Food Security cardholders, will greatly benefit from this compassionate decision, it added.

The implementation of this initiative will require an estimated budget of approximately Rs 1.11 crore.