Punjab Launches 'Meri Rasoi Yojna' Providing Free Food Kits to 40 Lakh Families

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann announced the 'Meri Rasoi Yojna', a welfare scheme providing free quarterly food kits to 40 lakh families starting April 2026. The kits include lentils, sugar, salt, turmeric, and mustard oil, supplementing wheat distributed under the National Food Security Act. The scheme targets blue card holders with annual incomes up to ₹60,000 and has a budget of ₹950 crore. Markfed will procure and the Food Department will distribute the kits. The Shiromani Akali Dal criticized the scheme as an election-year gimmick.