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Punjab launches “atta-daal” scheme for the poor

CHANDIGARH: The ruling Akali-BJP alliance in Punjab on Wednesday claimed to have fulfilled a major electoral promise when the State Government formally launched the scheme to provide wheat and pulses at highly subsided rates.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal made the announcement while addressing a gathering after unfurling the Tricolour at the Independence Day celebrations in Ludhiana.

Amid cheers from the audience, Mr. Badal explained that the scope of the much talked about “Atta-Daal Scheme” was expanded after the State Government relaxed the criteria for Below Poverty Line (BPL) eligibility by raising the bar of annual income from Rs.7,200 to Rs.30,000. The decision is expected to benefit 14 lakh families.

The scheme envisages distribution of food material through the existing network of 14,250 ration depots of the Food and Civil Supplies Department and cooperative societies. Special blue coloured cards have been issued to the beneficiaries to draw wheat and pulses from the depots. Special cells at State and district levels have been created in the department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs to monitor the distribution of food-grains and ensure it reaches the beneficiaries in the correct quantity, quality and cost.

Under the scheme, each member of the beneficiary family would be entitled to a monthly supply of 7 kg of wheat at Rs 4 per kg. A maximum limit of 35 kg has been placed for each beneficiary family. Similarly three varieties of pulses that include dal chana, moong whole and urad whole would be distributed at the scale of 1kg per member with a maximum of 4 kg to each family at Rs.20 per kg.

The Chief Minister also announced possession rights for farmers who had been cultivating about 42,000 acres of Government land on the river banks.

Reiterating his commitment to eradication of poverty and illiteracy, Mr. Badal said it was unfortunate that even after 60 years of Independence the people of a progressive state like Punjab were struggling for basic amenities.

The Chief Minister said that to ensure fast and planned development of urban areas the Government had chalked out a comprehensive programme plan to develop Ludhiana and Amritsar as modern cities in North India.

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Punjab launches “atta-daal” scheme for the poor

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