The Mamata Banerjee government is exploring the possibility of allocating 5kg of rice for three months to those left out of a central scheme that covers only beneficiaries who fall under the food security act.

Last month, the Centre had announced 5kg free food grains for the poor for three months from April under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana. The 5kg grain is over and above the regular PDS allotment.

Bengal has over 9 crore ration card holders. But only 6.01 crore people covered by the food security act can avail themselves of the central allocation, leaving around 3.27 crore outside the ambit of the lockdown cushion.

“A scheme like this would have created divisions in society. This is the reason the state government has decided to give a similar allocation to the nearly 3.27 crore people left out of the central scheme,” said an official.

Sources said it had not been decided yet whether to give rice free of cost to the 3.27 crore beneficiaries or charge a highly subsidised amount.

“A government order is likely soon. The state government, in all likelihood, would provide food grain free of cost to the beneficiaries. The state may have to shoulder a burden of nearly Rs 1,400 crore,” said an official.

The central scheme has kicked up political dust in the state. Some BJP leaders had started visiting ration shops soon after the central scheme was announced, demanding that the ration dealers give the additional 5kg of rice to the beneficiaries under the central scheme.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had already announced that all the poor people in the state would get free rations for six months and that they could soon collect their monthly allotment of food grains at one go instead of having to stand in queue every week.

“Since the ration dealers were working overtime to supply the grains at one go, the demand of the BJP leaders put them under more pressure,” said a source.

Reports of agitations by villagers complaining they were not getting their allotment from ration shops have reached the state government, which has already replaced the food and supplies secretary.

In many districts, the situation remains volatile as the ration dealers have been unable to give the additional grain announced by the Centre.

There have been suggestions that the state government has not picked up the allotment of 9 lakh tonnes, under the central scheme, from the Food Corporation of India for fear that excluding a section of ration-card holders might foment a law-and-order problem.

The state will draw the allotment, a source said, once it is ready with its own scheme for the people left out.

The state government has said in a letter to the Raj Bhavan that the state is yet to receive the required food grains from the Centre to roll out the central scheme.