India Lockdown: Govt to Provide Rice & Wheat at Rs. 3 and Rs. 2 to 80 Crore People

New Delhi, March 25, 2020:

The Government of India amid lockdown has announced that the essential items like rice and wheat will be provided at prices as low as Rs 2 and Rs 3 respectively.

This has been announced for some 80 crore people of India. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Wednesday announced that the essentials like rice and wheat will be provided at concessional rates for the next three months to 80 crore people.

"The cost of wheat which is at Rs 27 will be provided at Rs 2. The cost of rice which is at Rs 37 will be provided at Rs. 3," said Javadekar.

This, Javadekar added, is the largest food security package worth one lakh eighty thousand crore rupees. "We will provide this to all the States in advance. The private and contractual employees will also get the payment," he said.

"Yesterday people crowded the market areas thinking that the shops will remain closed. These will remain open and functional all these days. We just have to maintain a metre's distance. This discipline is required," he added.

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For the unprivileged section, the Government will provide 7 kilos of ration every month to 80 crore people. Concessional ration and in some States free ration have also been announced. All the States have been asked to create Helplines at the district level.

It needs mention here that India has gone into a lockdown mode for the next 20 days. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his second address to the nation on Tuesday, announced a complete lockdown across the country to contain the outbreak of the virus from midnight onwards. Barring basic facilities like health, groceries, financial and a few essentials, everything have been ordered to remain closed.

Every state in the country, every district, every village, every town and every street-locality is now being locked down, the PM said, and added that 21 days are very important to break the corona cycle.

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Novel coronavirus or COVID-19 in India has taken a dangerous leap with 562 infected people as on Wednesday. A total of 27 new cases have been reported, a fresh case from Mizoram has also been reported.

According to Worldometers data, eleven people have died due to coronavirus in India, the latest being that of a man in Tamil Nadu.

Maharashtra has the highest number of cases in the entire country. The tally stands at 112 positive cases. It reported five new coronavirus cases since Tuesday night, taking the number of cases in the state to 112.

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