Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Chandigarh, The state government’s flagship Atta-Dal scheme has been lying suspended for the last eight months or so. Reports emerging from various districts have indicated that neither wheat flour nor pulses has been distributed to beneficiaries for long.Food and Civil Supplies Department officials say due to certain reasons, the distribution was held up, but it would be resumed soon.There are reports that the department is busy linking the ration cards with Aadhaar cards. The state government is also in the process of implementing the National Food Security Act. Under this scheme, the number of beneficiaries would be doubled. Since the beneficiaries belong to the poor strata of society, they have been pressing the government to resume the scheme at the earliest.In Mohali, procurement halts distributionMohali: There has been no supply of wheat and pulses to families living below the poverty line for several months in the district. The last allocation of pulses was made in November last year. Only a part of it was distributed as people refused to accept it alleging it being substandard. No replacement of the commodity has been received since and neither has any fresh allocation been made.Sarvjit Singh, District Food Supply Controller, Mohali, said of 9,920 tonnes of wheat allocation, only 3,728 tonnes could be distributed. The distribution was halted as the officials concerned were asked to join the procurement work.Patiala authorities await revised listsPatiala: The seven-month delay in the supply of subsidised ration in the district has become a nightmare for the beneficiaries. While they are being shooed away by depot holders who are clueless as to when the ration would be provided, the beneficiaries are struggling to make both ends meet.The beneficiaries say it has become difficult for them to even manage two meals a day with most essential commodities getting out of their reach.District Food Supply Controller Rupinder Kaur said they would distribute six months’ ration soon. “We have received the revised list from DCs and uploaded these on our website. As soon as we are allocated the foodgrain, we will start distribution,” she added.Beneficiaries given slips, but not rationMuktsar: The beneficiaries in the district are irate over the non-distribution of wheat and pulses for long. They have lodged complaints to the district administration that the officials concerned had collected money from them about two months ago for the subsidised food items, but they were yet to get the ration.Jalor Singh, a resident of Udekaran village, alleged: “We were issued a slip against the payment, but wheat and pulses have not been given to us. We have paid Rs889 against four blue cards issued to our joint family of 14 persons.”Gurtar Singh, Assistant Food and Civil Supplies Officer, Muktsar, said: “The slips were issued for the distribution of wheat, but the same day, we got instructions to stop distribution.” There are 5,16,839 beneficiaries who have 1,39,376 blue cards in the district.Stock procured, but nod awaitedGurdaspur: The Gurdaspur Food and Civil Supplies authorities are awaiting permission from the head office to restart the populist Atta-Dal scheme that is lying suspended for eight months.The scheme was suspended following discrepancies in the list of beneficiaries. The verification drive of the blue card holders ended last month. Nearly 20,000 cases were found fake. The number of beneficiaries has come down to 1,27,876 from 1,37,827 earlier.Baldev Singh, senior auditor and in charge of the scheme in the district, claimed wheat had been purchased by the department. “The wheat stocks are lying at mandis across the district and are ready to be transported to 1,154 ration depots. We are awaiting a green signal from the head office,” he said.
‘Harvesting season delayed distribution’
Jalandhar: There are around 6.55 lakh beneficiaries in the district who have not received ration since November 2014. Sources in the Food and Civil Supplies Department said the distribution of the wheat was suspended temporarily due to harvesting season. It would be resumed any time soon, they said. The department is likely to give 10 months’ supply this time. Dr Baljinder Singh Dhillon, District Food and Civil Supply Commissioner, said: “The ration has not been distributed since November 2014. It is expected to be resumed any time soon as wheat has been bought for distribution.”
