Beneficiaries get chickpeas, not pulses, under ‘atta-dal’ scheme

Gagandeep Singh

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, July 7

The Blue Card holder beneficiaries in the region have not been getting the benefits of the “atta dal” scheme for the past couple of years. Even though the scheme is supposed to provide wheat grains and pulses to the beneficiaries, the card holders have only been receiving wheat grains and chickpeas, not pulses for the past couple of years.

A majority of them cannot even remember when they got the pulses last time under the scheme. They blame the government for making a fool of them. The beneficiaries have been receiving 500 gm chickpeas per person per month.

Sources in the department said after the steep hike in the prices of the pulses across the state, the government had stopped distributing the pulses. They used to distribute Mah Dal and Chana Dal, which now cost between Rs 150 and 180 per kg in the retail market, therefore the government, perhaps, opted for the cheaper way out.

Speaking to Jalandhar Tribune, Nasib Chand Bubby from Chohak Kalan said, “We used to get Mah Dal or Channa Dal earlier. However, for the past couple of years, we have not got any dal. What we have been getting and chickpeas and that too of inferior quality.” He accused the government of cheating the blue card beneficiaries. Similarly, Narinder from Salala village said he could not remember when he last received dal. They were only getting channa (chickpeas) for the past some time. They started from dal and now come to chickpeas. A ration depot holder in a rural part of Jalandhar said they were distributing what they were getting. Meanwhile, it’s only channa they have been getting.

District Food and Civil Supplies Officer, Jalandhar, Narinder Singh, said the government comes up with schemes. It is a policy matter and he could not comment on that.