Eligible beneficiaries not getting ration benefits: Punjab MLAs in House
AAP MLAs raised concerns in the assembly about eligible beneficiaries not receiving rations, while ineligible individuals accessed benefits.
Two Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs on Monday raised the issue of eligible beneficiaries ‘not getting ration’ even as ineligible individuals with ration cards availed subsidised food and other benefits and other related matters, in the assembly during the question hour on the second day of the budget session.
AAP MLAs Gurpreet Singh Banawali (Sardulgarh) and Dalbir Singh (Baba Bakala) flagged ‘non-inclusion’ of newly married girls and newborns in ration cards.
Responding to the queries, Punjab food, civil supplies and consumer affairs minister Lal Chand Kataruchak informed the House that the state had already exceeded the cap on number of beneficiaries under the ration scheme.
The minister said the Centre has set a cap of 1.41 crore for beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act and Punjab has exceeded it by around 18 lakh. Kataruchak said the cap was set based on the 2011 census.
Banawali asked about the steps being taken to record the names of girls from poor families who get married, into the ‘blue cards’ of their in-laws’ families and the inclusion of newborns.
Kataruchak said newly wed girls can get registered under the Smart Ration Card Scheme after getting their names deleted from the previous ration cards, provided the in-laws’ family is registered under the Smart Ration Card Scheme.
“As the limit has been exceeded, new names were not being registered in ration cards for some time now. This issue was taken up with the Union government and it said a decision can only be taken after the next census,” the minister added.
On the Baba Bakala MLA’s question of ineligible beneficiaries availing benefits, Kataruchak said no new ration cards were being issued, and the central government was carrying out an e-KYC exercise for verification of beneficiaries. “This exercise will be completed on March 31. Almost 80% of the work is already done,” he said.
‘Bathinda lakes to be developed as tourism hub’
Tourism minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond, while responding to a question, said the department of tourism and cultural affairs is focused on preserving and restoring historically significant monuments and tourist destinations across the state.
He said if Bathinda district authorities submit a proposal to develop the lakes there into a food hub or tourism site, the government will prioritise it. He was responding to Bathinda Urban MLA Jagroop Singh Gill.
Assembly speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan said Punjab is one of the most beautiful places in the world with mountains, rivers, lakes and diverse weather conditions. He said a comprehensive plan should be devised to boost tourism.
Responding to another question raised by Amritsar North MLA Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh through a call attention notice, local government minister Dr Ravjot Singh said necessary procedures and processes must be followed regarding inclusion of 12 gram panchayats of his constituency into the Amritsar municipal corporation (MC).
Sond said that the MLA had raised this matter during a meeting of the Panchayati Raj Institutions Committee of the assembly on January 24 last year.
