On October 4, the Maharashtra cabinet, headed by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, decided to give 100 rupees worth of products to ration card users in the state in time for the coming Diwali festival.
One kilogram of rawa (sooji), groundnuts, edible oil, and yellow lentils are included in the package. According to the statement, 1.70 crore families, or seven crore people, have ration cards and are eligible to purchase food from state-run fair price stores.
The proposal was moved by the Department of Food, Civil Supply, and Consumer Protection. Retail inflation in India is 7%, based on the consumer price index maintained by the Reserve Bank of India.
The state government's decision to give essentials at reduced prices will make it possible for the economically weaker sectors to use the bundle of products to make Diwali snacks and sweets.
Notably, the state's several civic and municipal governing organizations, notably the Mumbai Municipal Corporation, have elections coming up soon.
A week ago, the state government issued a new directive stating that a transgender person's application for a ration card will be taken into account in terms of residency verification and identity confirmation provided their name is registered with the State AIDS Control Committee.
If they have a voter identification card that labels them as transgender individuals, that information will also be considered.
"Third-gender citizens are granted relaxation in the process for obtaining identity proof and residential proof under the 2013 order, taking into account the challenges they confront in obtaining written proof. The government would not require people of a third gender to obtain a ration card,” said the government in a statement.
