For a year, no pulses in Atta-Dal scheme

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, February 25

It has been nearly a year that the Congress came to power in the state, but the supply of pulses is yet to be restored under the Atta-Dal scheme.

Dal was last distributed among the beneficiaries during the previous SAD-BJP government and that too close to the state poll in December 2016.

When the scheme was started, 1 kg of pulses per month were given to each beneficiary at Rs 20 with an upper cap of 2.5 kg in a family. However, the price was increased to Rs 30 per kg during the last supply in December 2016.

Now, the state government is again distributing subsidised wheat to each beneficiary at Rs 2 per kg for a month, but not dal.

Diwan Chand, District Food and Civil Supplies Controller, Muktsar, said, “We have got the wheat and are distributing it among the beneficiaries through the ration depots in the villages and municipal wards. We have not got the supply of dal after November 2016. Even at that time, the pulses had come after a gap of almost a year.”

Malkit Singh, an activist of the farm labourers’ union at Muktsar, said, “In some villages, even wheat is not being distributed among the beneficiaries for the past nine months. We have met the local officers of the Food and Civil Supplies Department. Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh must intervene and release the atta-dal on time.”

Anindita Mitra, Director, Food and Civil Supplies Department, said, “PUNSUP procures dal and supplies it further among the beneficiaries. We are only distributing wheat among the atta-dal scheme beneficiaries.”

Amarpal Singh, Managing Director, PUNSUP, said, “I assumed this charge about six months ago and from that time, pulses have not been distributed.”

Sukhjeet Pal Singh, General Manager (P&A), PUNSUP, said, “We have raised the demand for funds and are awaiting it. Once the funds are released, the pulses will be purchased and distributed among the beneficiaries. The last time pulses were distributed among the beneficiaries was just before the state elections. Thereafter, we have not purchased pulses under this scheme.”