Bhopal:Saturday, October 2 :The state government has decided to provide ration under public distribution system to the targeted beneficiaries of the poor at their door-step. The pilot project started on Gandhi Jayanti today from Chiraidongari village of Narayanganj Block of predominantly tribal Mandla district. Minister of State for Panchayat and Social Justice Shri Devi Singh Saiyam inaugurated this scheme. The beneficiaries welcomed this scheme and out of the total 88 card holders of Antyodaya Scheme, 83 collected their ration for three months. Out of the total 87 beneficiaries of BPL card holders, 53 collected ration today. The ration was given in the presence of Shri Devi Singh Saiyam and other people’s representatives.
Under the public distribution system, the ration at the door steps programme was introduced so that the poor gets their ration easily and without going for kilometers to get it from the ration shop. Under the scheme, yellow card holders of Antyodaya and green card holders of BPL are given ration for three months. On an experimental basis this scheme was introduced at Chiraidongari Village. The scheme will be expanded to other places soon. Shri Devi Singh Saiyam inaugurated the scheme by giving 105 kg of food grains each to Smt. Parvati Bai and Kaliya Bai, beneficiaries of Antyodaya scheme. After that the other beneficiaries also collected their ration from the spot before evening.
On this occasion Shri Devi Singh Saiyam said that since this scheme has been introduced, the poor don’t have to go again and again to the ration shops because they will get ration for three months at a time and that too at their door steps. The food grains will be of good quality, weighing of ration will be proper and at the prescribed rate. He said that the state government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, has been taking welfare measures for the benefit of the poor. This scheme is one of them, he said.
Former Member of Parliament and National President of Janjatiya Morcha Shri Faggan Singh Kulaste lauded the scheme and said that it will be a success and the poor people will benefit with it. It was good that the government decided to start the pilot project from Mandla district, he said. While presiding over the programme, MLA from Nivas, Shri Rampyare Kulaste said that the state government wanted to distribute ration to the poor in an easy way to benefit them. District Panchayat President Smt. Sampatiya Uikey said that with this scheme, ration for three months are given at a time. Due to this the women will be free from tension about food grains for three months. The district collector spoke in detail about the scheme. As per the present system the consumers have to go to the ration shop to collect their quota of food grains for each month. According to the new scheme, the beneficiaries will get their quota of ration at the panchayat headquarters for three months.
For the convenience of beneficiaries, if their total number is 300 or above, the ration will be supplied on two specified days. It has been decided that the ration will be supplied from 10.30 AM to 4.30 PM. The beneficiaries will get ration in standard bag of 50 kgs. The remaining will be given loose after weighing. The BPL card holders will get 50 kg rice in already packed standard bag and remaining 10 kg rise loose after weighing. Likewise, the beneficiaries of Antyodaya card holders will get 100 kg rice in already packed two bags of 50 kg each and the balance of five kg in loose after weighing.
What the beneficiaries said
Now that they are getting ration for three months at a time the card holders are naturally very happy. Parvati Bai, a beneficiary said that she got 105 kg rise today as ration for three months. For this, she has to pay only Rs. 315. Earlier she had to go to the ration shop several times and often the food grains were not available there. The society people used to reply that the food grains have not come yet and they were told to come later. Smt. Kalia Bai had to say same story. According to Kalia Bai, the scheme is very good.