 "Rajasthan elections 2023: CM starts Free Annapurna Food Packet Scheme")
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has launched the Chief Minister Free Annapurna Food Packet Scheme on Independence Day, according to a report by Hindustan News. The scheme was launched on August 15 during a function held at Birla Auditorium. The scheme, distributing free food packets to more than 10 million people, could benefit up to 50 million individuals. The scheme has begun in all districts across 25,000 ration shops.
This free food packet scheme will reportedly cost the state government of Rajasthan Rs 4,500 crores annually.
So far, 10.493 million people have registered in the relief camp to take advantage of the scheme.
Addressing the audience and media at the event, CM Gehlot stated that in a democracy, it was the government's duty to provide social security and welfare schemes for people.
Commenting on strides made by the Gehlot-led government in Rajasthan, the chief minister stated that 18 million out of 19.3 million people had registered for guarantee cards through relief camps set up by the state. The scheme was launched in April, and those eligible can use the guarantee cards to register for 10 major government schemes.
According to a report by Outlook at the time, Rajasthan Congress president and MLA Govind Singh Dotasra, had hailed the scheme as "historic". He added that the government had allocated Rs 19,500 crore for the inflation relief package in the 2023-24 Budget.
In the second phase, CM Gehlot added that 10 million women would receive smartphones, referring to the Indira Gandhi Smartphone Yojana launched on August 10.
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Taking a jibe at the Opposition, the chief minister commented on BJP's hypocrisy for calling Gehlot-led schemes "freebies" while distributing freebies themselves. He said that when the BJP provided benefits, they were schemes but when anyone else did they were labelled "freebies".
He added that despite PM Modi launching the Ujjwala Scheme, Rajasthan was the only state providing a cylinder at Rs 500, after a Rs 650 subsidy.
The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2016 to distribute LPG connections to women below the poverty line. In 2021, Ujjwala Yojana 2.0 was introduced, where beneficiaries would receive the first refill and hotplate free of cost. The registration process for the scheme was also relaxed and required minimum paperwork.