New food entitlement scheme has too little to offer: Tarigami

Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Apr 12: Stating that the new food entitlement scheme announced by the State Government is devoid of any major relief, CPI (M) leader and MLA Kulgam Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami has said the exorbitant rates of 5 Kgs of additional ration announced under the scheme has diluted the initiative being portrayed as a major relief given to the common public.
In a statement issued here, Tarigami said, “The ration being sold @ Rs 10 per Kg will be now available to the consumers @ Rs 15 per kg under the new food entitlement scheme. On the one hand the Government has increased the quota of ration and on the other hand this additional quota has been made unaffordable for the common man. This arbitrary hike in the price of subsidized ration has minimized the relief given to the public.”
He invited the attention of the Chief Minister Ms Mehbooba Mufti towards the CPI (M) resolution on the subject that was unanimously adopted by the Legislative Assembly on 27.08.2014 for provision of 35 kgs ration to each family @ Rs2  per kg. “Interestingly, both the coalition partners PDP and BJP had unequivocally voted in support of this resolution. Now,  it becomes a moral responsibility for PDP-BJP Government to implement the resolution and provide the ration to the people accordingly,” he observed.
The CPI (M) leader also rued the massive discrepancies in the database compiled by the CAPD in the State and termed it as step towards nurturing corruption and malpractices in the department.  Tarigami demanded inclusion of lakhs of families that comprises a large section of the society especially those born in 2011 and onwards who have been left outside the preview of subsidized ration so far.
“The Government must at least come clean on the criteria adopted for the defining a family as BPL under the NFSA guidelines. This criterion should be widely displayed at every ration depot in order to bring transparency and probity in the public distribution department.  The anomalies that have surfaced in the list of BPL need to be addressed,” he demanded.

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