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Chandigarh:
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday rolled out a “smart ration card” scheme for offering subsidised foodgrains to 1.41 crore beneficiaries within the state.
He additionally introduced a separate state-funded scheme to offer subsidised rations to 9 lakh beneficiaries not lined underneath the National Food Security Act (NFSA).
With this, the whole variety of beneficiaries within the state will go as much as 1.50 crore, the chief minister stated whereas rolling out the sensible ration card scheme underneath which 37.5 lakh playing cards will probably be distributed to the eligible beneficiaries this month.
The CM stated the Centre has capped the utmost variety of beneficiaries to 1.41 crore and, regardless of repeated requests, has not agreed to offer subsidised rations to the deserving 9 lakh folks not lined underneath the NFSA.
His authorities has due to this fact determined to cowl all such not noted eligible individuals underneath a state-funded scheme, particulars of which will probably be introduced shortly, he stated.
Launching the sensible ration card scheme, the CM stated the scheme would assist curb corruption and provides freedom to the beneficiaries to purchase from any depot.
Describing it as a serious step in the direction of empowering the beneficiary, he stated it’ll finish the exploitation of beneficiaries by unscrupulous ration depot holders.
The scheme empowers the beneficiary to get his entitled quota of foodgrains from any ration depot within the state of Punjab, he stated.
The CM lashed out on the BJP-led central authorities for making an attempt to “destroy” by means of three farm ordinances the spirit of Punjab’s farmers, who, he stated, have toiled for the nation and fed the nation.
The ordinances are Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020, he stated.
These ordinances are geared toward ending the MSP regime and can hit the farmers exhausting, he claimed.
Referring to the Sutlej Yamuna Link canal problem, the CM stated that’s one other downside Punjab is dealing with.
He stated whereas he not too long ago had one assembly with the Union Water Resources Minister and his Haryana counterpart, the issue continues to hang-out the state.
Pointing to the melting glaciers and the receding groundwater stage within the state, he stated the state of affairs is vital and the state merely can not afford to provide any water to different states.
In a symbolic gesture, the CM handed over the sensible ration playing cards to 4 beneficiaries right here, after which all ministers and MLAs distributed playing cards of their respective districts and constituencies, as per a authorities launch.
Earlier, state Food minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu stated the state authorities had weeded out ghost beneficiaries and undeserving individuals who had been being offered subsidies by the erstwhile SAD-BJP regime at the price of real beneficiaries, he added.
The Smart playing cards, stated Ashu, will allow the beneficiaries to take ration from any store, thus ending the monopoly of the ration depots.
Bio-metrics of the cardholder will probably be matched with the info saved in a chip on the sensible ration card to stop any fraudulent switch of meals grains, he stated.
One card will suffice for the complete household, he stated.
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