The central government has begun distribution of free ration from the Public distribution system (PDS) following the lockdown in the wake of COVID-19. The beneficiaries of this scheme are those who come under the poverty line, or their annual income does not exceed R59,000 per annum or those who have been taking ration from the government shops regularly. On Wednesday, shopkeepers had a hard time dealing with customers as people demanded ration for each name on the ration card
Speaking with mid-day, a ration shop owner said, "Names on the ration card must be linked with Aadhaar card. Only those ration card holders whose name is linked can get 5 kg of free rice per person."

Another shopkeeper Bachcho Bhai Gami said, "I have a couple of government ration shops. In one of my shops, 1,500 ration cardholders are registered. But only around 500 people take ration every month. Today we distributed free ration to around 450."