Left out family members being added: Minister
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 20: Notwithstanding the immense problems being faced by the people, Jammu and Kashmir Government today ruled out initiating bifurcation of ration cards on the ground that such exercise would lead to implications of arranging additional food grains for new households.
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“The process of bifurcation of ration cards will lead to implications of arranging additional food grains for such new households. This also has implications in increasing the burden for the Department under other schemes run by the Department of Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs and in other schemes of the Government where Public Distribution System data base is utilized and household is the unit of entitlement,” said Satish Sharma, Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, while replying to a question raised by BJP MLA Balwant Singh Mankotia, in the Legislative Assembly.
However, he maintained that the addition of eligible left out family members in ration cards is being done on regular basis.
Informing the House that bifurcation of ration cards has been stopped vide Government Order No. 85- GAPD of 2016 dated 04.05.2016, the Minister said that this was necessitated for adhering to targets assigned for coverage of families under Public Distribution System, particularly AAY households, by the Department of Food and Public Distribution, Government of India, where the entitlement is at the scale of 35Kg per household.
Stating that addition of eligible left out family members in the ration cards is being done on regular basis, Satish said the Government has also included the children born after 2011 up to 2016 in respective household ration cards to further augment the food needs of such households. He further informed the House that the criteria adopted for inclusion under Priority Household (PHH) group has already been notified.
As Mankotia sought to grill the Government for neither bifurcating ration cards nor including those born after 2016 despite very slight difference between birth and death rates in J&K, Aijaz Jan of National Conference stood up from his seat and reminded the BJP MLA that the latter’s party was in power during the last 10 years.
“Your party (BJP) was in power since 2016 and hence you have to admit your failure for the lapses during these years,” he said.
Stung by the NC MLA’s attack, Mankotia retorted that Modi Government gave free ration in Jammu and Kashmir as well as in other parts of the country.
While continuing his reply, the Minister said that as many as, 98.52 lakh AAY, PHH and NPHH beneficiaries have been covered under the PM Ration Yojana in Jammu and Kashmir, including 56,977 beneficiaries in Chenani Constituency.
He said that the department is contemplating to open 1600 new Fair Price Shops across J&K, as per framework in vogue under Jammu and Kashmir Targeted Public Distribution System.
“Since the elected Government has assumed the office, it has been thought prudent to rope in elected members also to firm up requirements of new Fair Price Shops,’ he added.
As the Minister sought support of BJP members to approach Government of India for enhanced quota after the required amendments are carried out under J&K Targetted Public Distribution System, NC MLA Aijaz Jan once again took the opportunity to attack the opposition member and said: “I will also go to Delhi along with you for exposing your (BJP) failures.”
The Minister further informed the House that 8.72 lakh beneficiaries in AAY category, 58.10 lakh in PHH category and 31.70 lakh beneficiaries in NPHH category have been covered under PM Ration Yojna in J&K.
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