Covid Response: 7 Million to Get Free Ration in Delhi for 2 Months
Although Delhi has started a vaccination drive, there is hardly any impact of vaccination as the immediate need of affected people is healthcare support.
By Rakesh Raman
The chief minister (CM) of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal announced today (May 4) that 72 lakh (7.2 million) ration card holders of Delhi will get ration (food items) free of charge during the next 2 months.
The decision has been taken to help the vulnerable people deal with the financial hardships during the ongoing coronavirus (Covid-19) devastation in Delhi.
Kejriwal, however, added quickly that the ration help for 2 months does not mean that the Covid lockdown will continue during this period. Currently, Delhi is observing a complete lockdown which the government had extended on May 3.
कोरोना लॉकडाउन के कारण गरीब आर्थिक तंगी से जूझ रहे हैं। इस वक्त उनकी सहायता करने के लिए दिल्ली सरकार दिल्ली में रहने वाले 72 लाख राशन कार्ड धारकों को अगले दो महीने तक मुफ्त राशन देगी। pic.twitter.com/lBcBQrRbmT
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) May 4, 2021
As Kejriwal admitted in his video message that the current wave of coronavirus is causing extreme damage – including Covid cases and deaths – it is expected that the lockdown will be extended after May 3.
Although Delhi has started a vaccination drive, there is hardly any impact of vaccination as the immediate need of affected people is healthcare support.
Delhi is facing acute shortage of hospital beds, oxygen, healthcare staff, ambulances, and so on. Moreover, people are not able to cremate the bodies of Covid victims, as the cremation grounds are overcrowded.
Although as of May 4 Delhi Government reports 1.2 million Covid cases and 17,000 deaths in Delhi’s population of 30 million, these numbers cannot be trusted because the government is understating the number of infections and deaths.
By Rakesh Raman, who is a national award-winning journalist and social activist. He is the founder of a humanitarian organization RMN Foundation which is working in diverse areas to help the disadvantaged and distressed people in the society.
