Former Union Finance Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday urged the government to transfer cash and distribute free food grains to the poor, saying only a heartless government will not do anything.

He said more and more people have run out of cash and are standing in queues for free cooked food.

"There is overwhelming evidence that more and more people have run out of cash and are forced to stand in lines to collect free cooked food. Only a heartless government will stand by and do nothing," he said.