Chandigarh, Feb 23 (IANS) Ahead of the assembly elections slated for early 2027, the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab on Monday announced the "Meri Rasoi" scheme to provide nutritious food to 40 lakh blue card holders in the state from April.  

This was announced by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann after a meeting of the Council of Ministers here. 

"Meri Rasoi" will ensure that all blue card holders will get 2 kg dal, 2 kg sugar, 1 kg iodised salt, 200 grams haldi, and 1 litre of mustard oil, along with the free wheat they are getting each month. 

"The families will be provided the ration kit for three months from April," the Chief Minister said. 

Officials said the "Meri Rasoi" scheme has a budget outlay of Rs 1,000 crore. 

While the kits will be prepared by state-run Markfed, the Food and Supplies Department will distribute them among the beneficiaries. 

From April onwards, each cardholder under the National Food Security Act or Smart Ration Card Scheme will get a separate bag containing the food items. The beneficiaries are eligible for 15 kg of wheat every month. The wheat is given quarterly in a 45-kg bag. 

CM Mann said it was ironic that Punjab has been feeding millions of people in the country, but many families in the state get just one meal a day. 

"Our children are undernourished and suffer from iron deficiency. The meals they get are not rich in protein. As a welfare government, it is our duty to ensure that every citizen in the state gets wholesome meals," he said. 

Meanwhile, the Cabinet decided to hold the Budget session from March 6 to 16, and the Budget will be presented on International Women’s Day, March 8, which falls on a Sunday. 

"If Prime Minister Narendra Modi can get a Parliament session convened on a Sunday, why can’t we? We can also table our budget on Sunday," Mann said. 

The Chief Minister also said that investigations were underway into the killings of two security personnel at a border checkpoint in Gurdaspur on Sunday. 

Assistant Sub-Inspector Gurnam Singh and home guard Ashok Kumar were found dead close to the Pakistan border. 

On the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) revision, CM Mann said the government would give full cooperation to the Election Commission. "But we will oppose any move to delete the voters," he said. 

--IANS