SAD also demands action against Cong MLA Beri

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, July 17

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today demanded action against Jalandhar Central MLA Rajinder Beri for allegedly misappropriating Central ration and distributing the same among his supporters. Party leaders also demanded the mid-day meals scheme to be resumed, which had been discontinued during the lockdown.

Presenting a memorandum on this issue to the Deputy Commissioner here, a SAD delegation, including legislator Pawan Tinu, party Jalandhar unit president Kulwant Singh Manan and Baljit Singh Neelamahal, while demanding action against all Congressmen embezzling Central ration, also demanded exemplary punishment for all officials who had allowed Congressmen to misappropriate food grains and pulses received from the Centre for distribution to the poor and needy.

Pawan Tinu said no criteria had been fixed for the distribution of the Central ration to 1.44 crore people which was more than half of the population of the state. He said the Food and Civil Supplies Department as well as the district administration had simply allowed Congressmen to hijack the scheme and take over the food stocks. He said the recent recovery of Central ration at a hotel proved that the Congressmen were misappropriating the food stock.

Tinu said the situation was such that only 10-15 per cent of the total ration received from the Centre had been distributed in different constituencies in the district. He said in Adampur only, 10 per cent of the ration received had been distributed.

Speaking about the mid-day meal scheme, SAD leaders said it was condemnable that it had been discontinued since April 15 this year. He said even though the Supreme Court had also directed that the scheme should be restarted at the earliest, the Punjab government was yet to do so. He said more than 13 lakh students had been affected due to this and the government should ensure that they were not deprived of the mid-day meals. He asked the DC to issue necessary instructions to restart the scheme immediately saying that not doing so would lead to school drop outs, especially girl students.

Kulwant Manan and Baljit Neelamahal also demanded that the government should purchase test machines for Covid-19. He said at present all tests were being sent outside for results which had put severe limits on testing besides leading to delayed results. The leaders said the government should install a Covid-19 testing machine in all community hospitals in the district.

Beri denies charge, says donated foodgrains at RSS-run school as well

• Jalandhar Central Congress MLA Rajinder Beri said he had even helped the 32 students of an RSS-run school in Jalandhar and hence claimed that there had been no partiality in the distribution of ration. Supported by Congress councillors, including Mandeep Jassal and Sherry Chadha, Beri showed the pictures and said, “In Covid days, we distributed ration, pairs of shoes and even gave four mobile handsets to the needy students of Sarvhitkari School. So, how can we be partial.”
• Showing more pictures of ration distribution in various localities, he said, “The hotel of my friend is an authorised storage centre of the Food and Civil Supplies Department. Some of the lanes in my constituency are congested. Hence, it is easier to load and unload ration from a hotel on the main road. The Food and Civil Supplies officials accompany us at most places.”
• Last evening, ex-BJP minister Manoranjan Kalia and his supporters again alleged that Beri had been taking around a truck loaded with state-distributed ration for supplies in Surya Enclave. Beri too reached the spot and said the DFSO staff was along with him and hence there was no hanky-panky.