Akbar asks govt not to protest cash subsidy scheme

Raipur, March 07, 2013

Congress MLA Mohammad Akbar on Thursday asked the government not to oppose Centre’s direct cash transfer of subsidy scheme as it had been launched to benefit the poor.

“By implementing this scheme, the APL family will directly get Rs 6883, BPL family will get Rs 8122 and antyodaya family will receive Rs 9220,” he said while participating in debate over demand for budgetary grants for food, civil supplies & consumer protection, 20-point programme implementation and gramodyog departments at Vidhan Sabha. 

“Besides foodgrains, people have other requirements too. If the government wants to give foodgrains to the poor at the rate of Rs two per kg then it should do it. However, after taking 35 kg rice every month the beneficiaries will like make use of remaining subsidised amount on other purposes,” he added.

“The government should not only continue its scheme, but also accept Central funds for the benefit of the poor,” he said.

He alleged that the government was doing injustice to the APL families by allocating less foodgrains for them. 

“The Centre provides sufficient fund to the state under public distribution system (PDS). However, if the government thinks that only BPL households can eat 35 kg foodgrains and not the APL ones then it is wrong,” he said. 

Indicating that government’s chaval utsav (rice festival) in villages was no longer been celebrated every month on 7^th he said even the officials had stopped going to rural areas on the particular date. 

“The people of Chhattisgarh will celebrate only those festivals which they have been celebrating for years. No new festival can start here. The posters of chaval utsav have disappeared from villages. The fair price shops sell ration as they were doing earlier,” he added.

Pointing that none of the food and civil supplies ministers of undivided Madhya Pradesh and 13-year old Chhattisgarh state won elections after holding the particular department, Congress MLA Mohammad Akbar advised state’s food and civil supplies minister Punnulal Mohle to better leave his department before assembly polls. 

When a ruling party member reminded Akbar that he too had held food and civil supplies portfolio earlier, the latter said he was actually minister of state at that time hence he escaped the poll consequence.

Countering Akbar’s suggestion to Mohle, panchayat and rural development minister Hemchand Yadav said if he advises so then the leader of the opposition too should leave his post as no one has won polls after holding the specific post. He will return to New Delhi at evening through regular flight on Friday evening.