Names removed from blue card holders’ list, Mehraj residents plan stir

Residents say the names of around 550 genuine beneficiaries have been struck off by the authorities.

BATHINDA A section of residents of Mehraj, the ancestral village of chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh, are angry and planning a stir against removal of their names from the blue card holders’ list of the Atta-Dal scheme beneficiaries.

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Residents say the names of around 550 genuine beneficiaries have been struck off by the authorities. Punjab Kisan Union leader Gurtej Singh said officials claimed the names were removed after scrutiny of the list. “They were genuine beneficiaries, which shows that officials removed the names without verification,” he said.

He said the step was a fallout of political vindictiveness and a protest will be held against this outside the office of sub-divisional magistrate, Rampura Phul, on March 20. The affected families also held a meeting in the village on Monday to show their anguish and chalk out a plan how to raise their voice against the move.