Maharashtra govt to provide 3kg wheat, 2kg rice to poor for free chief minister Uddhav Thackeray announced

Maharashtra government will provide three kilograms of wheat and two kilograms of rice free of cost for the next one month to every poor and needy person while lockdown-like curfew is in place till May 1, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray announced on Tuesday.

The announcement comes as several migrant workers had been leaving Mumbai in anticipation of a lockdown. The Supreme Court too on Tuesday directed all states to inform it about the number of migrant children and their condition on a plea seeking directions for the protection of their fundamental rights amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

The announcement of a public address by Thackeray amid speculation of a lockdown had earlier in the day led to panic buying by people on the streets of the financial capital. Vegetable vendors and general stores selling fast-moving consumer goods saw higher buying from around 5.30 pm when the CM’s office informed of Thackeray’s virtual address on Tuesday over social media platforms.

Over the past fortnight, Maharashtra has been witnessing a massive growth in daily infections with cities like Mumbai and Pune, and also some districts like Aurangabad witnessing a surge in cases.