Food security scheme ignores many: BJP MLAs

Gandhinagar: The inept implementation of 'Ma Annapurna Yojana' under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) has drawn flak not just from Congress MLAs, but BJP MLAs too. Worried over thousands of BPL families in their constituencies being left out of the scheme under Antyodaya criteria, the MLAs have broken their silence and started to complain. With assembly elections nearing, the state government reacted with alacrity and passed orders to address these grievances.
Senior BJP MLA Chiman Sapariya from Jamjodhpur constituency in Jamnagar district drew the attention of Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, civil supplies and consumer affairs minister, to the issue, and complained about the NFSA list leaving out Below Poverty Line (BPL) families.
Sapariya, after representing before Chudasama, said,"In my constituency alone, around 8,000 BPL families have not been included in the NFSA list for various reasons.
The officials only included the names of those who were listed in the 2011 socio-economic survey. Many families were included in the BPL list thereafter. All those who got BPL card after 2011 have not been included in the NFSA list. Those left out may constitute close to 1 lakh to 1.5 lakh families. The minister has responded positively, and has promised to include all BPL families left out in the NFSA list.''
Chudasama said,"Considering representation from MLAs, we have passed orders to address all such issues. All BPL families or eligible families will be included for benefits under the NFSA.''
While launching the scheme, CM Anandiben Patel had claimed, "The number of beneficiaries receiving wheat at Rs2 per kg and rice at Rs3 per kg was only 1.88 crore during rule of the Congress party, but pro-people policies of Bharatiya Janata Party has increased that number to include 3.82 crore people."
According to the latest policy decision, the facility, which was earlier available only to Below Poverty Level (BPL) families, has now been extended to more people belonging to priority list. According to government estimates, the scheme will help families save 60 per cent of their expenditure on cereal, amounting to Rs1,200 per person per year, the CM had claimed.