Punjab govt under fire for excluding 1.2 million families from free ration scheme

Punjab is reeling under unprecedented floods, with over 1,400 villages affected, vast crop losses reported, and nearly 50 lives lost. Amid this humanitarian crisis, the state government has come under fire for excluding 1.2 million poor families from the Free Ration Scheme, prompting sharp criticism from political opponents.

The move, coming amid widespread displacement and food insecurity, has been condemned as “inhumane” and “cruel” by senior BJP leader and former IAS officer SR Ladhar, who addressed the media here on Monday.

According to Ladhar, the exclusion reflects the ruling Aam Aadmi Party’s misuse of welfare schemes for political gain rather than public service. He cited a similar episode in 2022, when the Punjab government had removed 1.073 million beneficiaries, only to reinstate them ahead of the 2024 general elections.

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Critics argue that the latest decision mirrors the same pattern of political manoeuvring, disproportionately affecting marginalised communities, including Scheduled Castes, backward classes, daily wage workers, and migrant labourers.

The Free Ration Scheme, implemented under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, involves full funding of grain procurement and transportation by the central government. However, the state government is responsible for beneficiary management, ration distribution, and depot operations.

The state government maintains that the action targets ineligible families, including those owning cars, air conditioners, or with taxable income, and aims to prevent fraudulent ration cards.