Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday suggested that the Centre should allow the food stocks currently stored in Punjab godowns to be distributed to the poor whose earnings were impacted due to the Coronavirus outbreak instead of letting them rot in the storage areas.
Since the stocks belonged to the Government of India, it was in their purview to take a decision in this regard, he said, adding that the 20 million tonnes of food grains that Food Corporation of India (FCI) has yet to lift from the godowns could be put to better use by feeding the people not just in Punjab but wherever needed. Such a move would be a life saver for the people of India in the current crisis, he added.
The suggestion came even as Punjab reported the death of a 70-year-old man who had arrived from Germany via Italy at Delhi airport on March 7, and proceeded to the state the same day. He was a known case of diabetes and hypertension, and was confirmed as COVID positive on Wednesday.
