The protesting Congress workers said that not a single ration shop in Sion-Koliwada has received these free ration kits yet and it is impossible that people will get these kits before Gudi Padwa

They said that the state government knew about the Employees' strike and it should have made preparations beforehand

Ahead of Gudi Padwa and Dr B R Ambedkar’s birth anniversary, the Maharashtra government announced to distribute food kits to around 1.63 crore ration card holders

The Maharashtra cabinet had cleared the decision to provide a ration kit of one kg each of rawa, sugar, and chana dal (lentils), and one litre of palm oil at Rs 100

The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, to give the benefits of the subsidised ration kits under the Antyodaya Food Scheme to the poorest sections of society, for the second time after a similar scheme was implemented in Diwali 2022