French Ambassador to India H.E. Emmanuel Lenain on July 1 paid a visit to a fair price shop in Tughlakabad Extension in the national capital. India and France last week signed a credit financing agreement for 200 million euros to bolster India’s Covid-19 response. Through this loan from the French Development Agency, France will work with India to increase the state and Central governments’ capacities to support the country’s most vulnerable sections in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The programme design, developed by the World Bank, focuses on boosting the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojna (PMGKY). 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. Ambassador Lenain was accompanied at the shop by Bruno Bosle, Country Director-AFD, and Anand Tiwari, Additional Commissioner.

During his visit, Mr Lenain said, “India’s fair price shops are at the heart of its food security system and are key elements of its social protection system. We want to ensure that its benefits reach everyone. As part of this programme, France is working with the Government of India to ensure that even people who are not registered as residents in a state can avail of the subsidised food supplies through the fair price shops. This will be critical for urban residents’ resilience to future shocks.”

Later, Mr Lenain visited a training centre for underprivileged youth set up by the international NGO LP4Y, which is also supported by the French Development Agency. In the face of the pandemic, young people associated with LP4Y have been spreading awareness about health precautions and providing support to more vulnerable members of the community.