3% ‘Atta-Dal’ scheme beneficiaries in Punjab not located

Chandigarh, October 30

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About 2 to 3 per cent beneficiaries of the subsidised foodgrain scheme -- popularly known as 'Atta-Dal' -- in Punjab have not been found at their given addresses during re-verification, a senior official said on Monday.

However, the final figure of the number of "undeserving" beneficiaries is expected to arrive by next month as the re-verification of the list of blue card beneficiaries of the 'Atta-Dal' scheme is still not complete.

"During the re-verification so far, we have found a trend of 2 to 3 per cent beneficiaries who could not be located at their given addresses. This figure varies from place to place and district to district," a senior official of the Punjab Food and Civil Supplies department said here today.

"The final figure will come out once the re-verification process is complete," the official said adding that officials concerned had been asked to submit the final report of re-verification of beneficiaries by November 15.

The Congress-led Punjab government had ordered re-verification of the list of blue card beneficiaries of the Atta-Dal scheme in the month of April in order to weed out the undeserving beneficiaries who were allegedly included due to their political affiliations with the SAD-BJP.

There are 1.41 crore of beneficiaries of the Atta-Dal scheme which promises wheat and pulses at subsidised rates.

The re-verification process in almost all the districts except Amritsar has been completed, the official said.

The department has so far linked 97 per cent of the beneficiaries with their Aadhaar cards and their list has been uploaded on the department's website, the official said. — PTI