The Maharashtra government will give ration for the entire month of April for Rs100. There are 1.63 crore beneficiaries of the scheme called ‘Anand Shidha’. The State Government drove a similar scheme during Diwali under the same name. It will cost the state Rs473 crore.
April 14 is the birth anniversary of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and Gudi Padwa, the start of Hindu calendar, is on March 22. The scheme will therefore start from March 22 and last one month. It will be available for the beneficiaries of Antyoday Anna Yojana, prioritised families under various schemes, saffron ration card holders and the families of farmers who died by suicide in 14 districts across the state.
The beneficiaries with e-pass authentication will get grocery items for a month. The list includes 1kg rava, 1kg chickpeas, 1kg sugar and 1 litre palm oil. There were reports of issues in tenders when the government implemented the scheme around Diwali last year. This time, the state has decided to complete the tender process in 15 days. Those who are not enrolled for e-pass can get it offline, too.
