Rajasthan government has launched Mukhyamantri Anna Surksha Yojna to provide wheat on two

rupees per kilogram rate to BPL families.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot today inaugurated this scheme at Tonk district. 36 lakh 57 thousand
BPL families in the state would be benefited with this scheme.

Government will spend 275 crore rupees on this scheme. On this occasion, Chief Minister
announced to open 4000 new ration shops.

Now the poor in Jorhat decry Gogoi’s ‘pro-poor’ plan

 
No one has the right to politicize poverty

Our Bureau

GUWAHATI/JORHAT, Sept 8: With the State witnessing mass protests against the ‘‘anomalous’’
Mukhya Mantrir Anna Suraksha Yojana (MMASY) and the State Government not being able to bring
the situation under control, the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) today blamed it on the
Opposition, especially the AGP, for the protests in various parts of the State. The APCC said that the
AGP was out in a false campaign describing the MMASY as a ‘‘pro-Congress’’, and ‘‘not as a pro-
poor, scheme. Amid the protests, the State Government has already instructed the deputy
commissioners to issue family identity cards to the would-be beneficiaries of the scheme from
September 9. According to sources, most of the deputy commissioners have informed the
government that they have no problem in issuing the cards as there are no complaints whatsoever,
though there are a few untoward incidents that need adequate forces to tackle. However, in the cases
of Chhaygaon and Mangaldai, the Gauhati High Court has issued stay orders on the issuance of
family identity cards.  

Meanwhile, many people belonging to ten gaon panchayats in North West Jorhat Development Block
 (Dhekorgora) today lodged complaints before both the Jorhat Deputy Commissioner and the North
West Jorhat Block Development Officer against what they called ‘‘serious anomalies’’ in MMASY in
the district. They alleged that  Congress workers had deprived them of the benefits under the scheme
by not including the genuine poor in the lists of beneficiaries, and demanded of the government to
conduct an immediate inquiry into the matter.

In a statement issued today, APCC general secretary Haren Das said: “If the 87 pro-poor schemes
announced in the last Annual Budget attract the poor people to the Congress, how can we stop them?
The AGP and other opposition parties do not have the right to agitate against these pro-poor
schemes. The selection committees formed by the government for the selection of beneficiaries under
the MMASY have selected only the genuine poor, and there is no reason for any outcry if anyone is
excluded from the list of beneficiaries because the government has as many as 87 pro-poor schemes
that are bound to benefit them. At least 40,000 poor families in each Legislative Assembly
Constituency (LAC) will be benefited by the schemes.”

People from ten gaon panchayats — 38 No. Baligaon, 39 No. Uttar Baligaon Porbotia, 40 No. Janajati
Porbotia, 41 No. Madhya Porbotia, 42 No. Pub Sarusarai, 43 No. Dhekorgara, 44 No. Madhya
Sarusarai, 45 No. Pachim Sarusarai, 46 No. Charingia and 47 No. Dakhin Porbotia — in North West
Jorhat Development Block (Dhekorgora) have lodged complaints before both Jorhat Deputy
Commissioner and North West Jorhat Block Development Officer today. They have alleged that
Congress party workers have deprived them of the benefits under the scheme and demanded of the
government to conduct an inquiry into the matter.

Meanwhile, Dergaon AGP MLA Sushila Hazarika strongly criticized the ‘‘corrupt practices’’ of
Congressmen in implementing government schemes. She demanded of the government to conduct
an inquiry into the ‘‘anomalies’’ in the list of beneficiaries of the MMASY.

Talking to The Sentinel, Hazarika said: “The scheme has been politicized since the very beginning. I
have not got even the prescribed forms of the scheme although the government has given application
forms to all the Congress MLAs of the district. The result of this politics is that Opposition party
workers have not got application forms in 17 gaon panchayats in Dergaon LAC.”

She also said that hundreds poor people of seven panchyats under Khongia Zila Parishad of Jorhat
Development Block were still crying for MMASY forms.

The APCC’s allegation that the AGP is behind the protest against the MMASY anomalies in the State
holds no water as the first such protest began at Dhola, a Congress stronghold in Mangaldai where
neither the AGP nor the BJP have any grip over the local people. At the time of the announcement of
the 87 ‘‘pro-poor’’ schemes in the last Budget session, the AGP had termed the schemes as
‘‘election-oriented’’.

Co-op dept to distribute wheat

0 Comments | DNA : Daily News & Analysis;
Mumbai, Jun 04, 2010
The cooperatives department has come to the rescue of the food and civil supplies department
that has been caught off guard by the ration dealers' statewide strike.

The cheap wheat at the rate of Rs2 per kg for below poverty line (BPL) families would now
be sold through the cooperative societies that have started procuring licenses for carrying out
works under the public distribution system (PDS).

The ration dealers' strike that started two days back without any warning had threatened to
disrupt execution of the Mukhya Mantri Anna Suraksha Yojana that aims at providing cheap
foodgrains to poorest of the poor in the state. Under the scheme, ration is made available to
the BPL families from 15th to 21st day of every month.

If the ration dealers continue to strike, the cooperative societies as well as consumer stores
and women cooperative societies spread across Rajasthan would distribute cheap wheat,
pulses, kerosene and other ration items to the BPL families. "The cooperative societies that
already have PDS licenses have been asked to obtain ration items from their areas'
wholesalers without delay so that ration can be provided to BPL families as per schedule
(15th to 21st)," said cooperative department's registrar, Mukesh Sharma. He added that the
societies that do not have licences have been asked to obtain these from their areas' district
supply officers (DSOs).

The cooperatives department swung into action after chief minister Ashok Gehlot personally
reviewed the situation emerging from ration dealers' strike. The chief minister had asked the
cooperative societies and women self assistance groups in rural areas to come forward in
ensuring smooth functioning of the Anna Suraksha Yojana for BPL families.

The ration dealers have been striking in protest against the food and civil supplies
department's stringent directions to them to provide cheap ration to BPL families during the
"consumer week" (15th to 21st of every month).

Credit:DNA Correspondent