Sheila tells MLAs to take food bill to people

With her eyes firmily set on the upcoming assembly elections, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit asked Congress MLAs and councillors to popularise the benefits of the food security scheme to potential beneficiaries.

With her eyes firmily set on the upcoming assembly elections, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit asked Congress MLAs and councillors to popularise the benefits of the food security scheme to potential beneficiaries.

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“You must ensure effective implementation of the scheme. You will have to take the benefits of the scheme to the masses and educate them about it. You will also have to help the people enrol under the scheme,” Dikshit said at a meeting.

Delhi will be the first state in the country to launch the scheme.

The assembly elections in Delhi are in November this year and the Congress leaders said an effective implementation of the food security scheme may prove to be a “game changer” for them.

The scheme will be formally launched on August 20 and the beneficiaries will be able to buy food grains at highly subsidised prices from September 1.

“The purpose of this meeting was to brief all the party MLAs about the implementation process of the scheme,” food and civil supply minister Haroon Yusuf said. “The MLAs have also been told to popularise the scheme as the flagship programme of the UPA.” Yusuf said.

According to the scheme, the beneficiaries will get wheat at Rs 2 per kg, rice at Rs 3 per kg and coarse grain at Rs 1 per kg.

Out of the population of 1.68 crore, 73.5 lakh people will get the benefit. The Delhi government has included families that are holding antodaya (AAY) below poverty line (BPL), above poverty line (APL), and Jhughi ration card (JRC) holders in the first phase of the scheme.

Initially, 32 lakh people would be covered under the scheme. “We will ultimately cover 73.5 lakh people, which will be 44 per cent of the total population, under the scheme,” Dikshit said.