Uttarakhand CM says sugar part of ration relief for 1st time, stokes row
At the cabinet meeting on Friday, it was decided that 2.3 million ration cardholders in the state will be provided 2 kg sugar per head at a lesser price than the market price.
Uttarakhand chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat has stoked another controversy with his remarks that people of the state have never received sugar since Independence as part of ration during a disaster.
Uttarakhand chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat. (Uttarakhand CMO)
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Speaking at a function in Uttarkashi on Saturday, Rawat said, “Sugar was never distributed since independence. Never in any sorrow, difficulty or disaster… we are distributing sugar (as part of ration) for three months... we have passed a proposal in this regard in cabinet meeting yesterday (Friday).”
When contacted, the CM said what he meant was that the Covid-19 period is also a disaster, during which for the first time, his government is distributing sugar as part of the ration. “So far during disasters in the state, wheat, rice and pulses have been distributed, but sugar has never been distributed,” he said
Udit Ghildiyal, part of CM’s media team, said Rawat’s statement has been misinterpreted. “Till a few years ago, sugar was part of the ration. But then the price of sugar in ration and in the market became almost same...the CM decided that till August, sugar should be provided as part of the ration to 23 lakh (2.3 million) cardholders in the state,” Ghildiyal said.
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At the cabinet meeting on Friday, it was decided that 2.3 million ration cardholders in the state will be provided 2 kg sugar per head at a lesser price than the market price.
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At the cabinet meeting on Friday, it was decided that 2.3 million ration cardholders in the state will be provided 2 kg sugar per head at a lesser price than the market price.
Neeraj Santoshi is the Chief of Bureau for Hindustan Times in Uttarakhand, where he leads the state reporting team while covering government, politics, environment, wildlife, Uttarakhand High Court, and issues shaping the Himalayan region. With more than two decades in journalism across conflict zones, he has covered politically sensitive regions and environmentally fragile landscapes, and focused on stories that combine public interest with in-depth storytelling. An alumnus of Pune University with a Master’s in Communication Studies, he has reported extensively from Jammu & Kashmir (2003-2010), Madhya Pradesh (2010 to 2018 ) and Uttarakhand (Since 2018), covering subjects ranging from insurgency, elections and governance to wildlife conservation, mining, climate change, agriculture, human rights and social justice. He has covered politics and legislative assemblies of both Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh over more than a decade. Before taking over as Chief of Bureau in Uttarakhand, he served as Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in Madhya Pradesh and earlier reported for both Hindustan Times and The Indian Express in Jammu & Kashmir, where he covered state politics, environment and insurgency-related developments. Over the years, his stories have focused on environmental degradation, wildlife, illegal mining, governance and the changing social fabric of Himalayan states and Central India. He is particularly interested in long-form explanatory journalism, and stories that explore the intersection of ecology, conservation, governance and society. Outside the newsroom, Neeraj enjoys reading widely on neuroscience, consciousness studies, Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, with a special interest in Kashmiri Tantric Shaivist traditions. He is also passionate about wildlife, mountaineering and the Himalayas, interests that continue to inform his reporting and deepen his understanding of the region he covers.
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