The central government has asked the food officials in Jammu Kashmir to procure bags featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s image.
In preparation for the 2024 general election, the Central government is allocating approximately ₹15 crore across five states to procure bags featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s logo for the distribution of food grains under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY).
The expenditure for this initiative amounts to Rs 13 crore in Rajasthan alone.
So far, the regional offices of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) in Jammu Kashmir, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Tripura, Sikkim, and Meghalaya have finalized tenders for purchasing “woven laminated bags with an indicative logo of PM Modi” for distributing food grains.
Under the PMGKAY, free food grains are provided to approximately 81.35 crore beneficiaries of Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and Priority Households (PHH).
The Central government claims that over 75 crore people benefitted each year under PMGKAY in 2020-21 and 2021-22.
According a report by Hindu, an RTI response reveals that various quantities of bags have been ordered in different states.
For instance, the Jammu Kashmir office has ordered a total of 1,37, 564 solely for Anantnag district. The quantity of the bags is 10 kilograms and contains of a massive image of PM Modi, sources told The Kashmiriyat.
The FCI’s directive to its regional offices to procure these bags with the Prime Minister’s logo has raised questions, particularly as it coincides with the upcoming general election.
Officials in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution have indicated that this branding of bags with political figures’ faces began in 2024, ahead of the election.
This contrasts with previous distribution efforts during the pandemic, where unbranded jute sacks were used.
The annual food subsidy borne by the Central government for distributing food grains to AAY households and PHH beneficiaries amounts to ₹2.13 lakh crore.
It’s pertinent to mention here that the images of PM Modi have featured on most of the government schemes and his images are almost everywhere in the public spaces including bus and fuel stations, shops.