French envoy visits Tughlaqabad to see distribution of ration

New Delhi [India], June 22 (ANI): French Ambassador Emmanuel Lenain on Tuesday visited a ration shop in Tughlaqabad to see the distribution of ration by Delhi government to the beneficiaries in the challenges posed by COVID-19.
France and India had last week signed an agreement in which Paris committed 200 million euros to support India's COVID-19 response.
Speaking to ANI, Lenain said that he wanted to see on the ground how ration distribution is being carried out.
Lenain said a programme has been launched to support vulnerable sections in the situation created by COVID-19 and he wanted to see on the ground what it was like.
"Proud to see that friendship between our governments can make a difference for people who need it," he said.
The programme, designed and developed by World Bank in collaboration with the Indian authorities, seeks to optimize and scale-up the Indian government's existing social protection measures, according to a release by the French embassy.
With a focus on boosting Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojna, the programme will provide further benefits to low-income families to ensure that the health, social and economic shocks arising from COVID-19 do not endanger people's well-being or their contribution to the country's economic growth in the long run, it said.
The programme also seeks to protect essential frontline workers of the pandemic, including those in healthcare, sanitation, and security, by providing them with health insurance.
Social assistance programmes will also be put in place for migrant workers and low-income urban households that may be unable to seek compensation under PMGKY.
Talking about coronavirus pandemic, he said the situation in France is getting back to normal and expressed hope that Paris will be able to invite some Indian students and tourists soon.
"Hopefully, it is getting better. We have been out of lockdown for a few weeks now and all the restrictions are now being lifted progressively. We are almost back to normal. You can go to restaurants, you can move around. It's getting much better. I am confident that soon we will be able to invite some Indian students, tourists and friends back to our country," he said. (ANI)