Senior BJP leader Dharamlal Kaushik said the BJP would support the state government if the latter moves the election commission seeking permission for allocation of rice for the “Annapurna Dal Bhaat Centres.”
The 135 such centres being run in the state to provide subsidised meal. On an average it serve around 12,000 poor workers every day.
Talking to media, Kaushik, who is also leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, said: “State government has failed to justify the scheme during the Central-level review. Why should the Centre stop the rice for 12000 poor people. Instead of blaming the Centre, the state government could have taken the initiative to retain the scheme.”
Kausik was reacting to the state government’s recent decision not to provide subsidised food grains to the centres after the Centre in a circular said that only government or government-owned institutes could get subsidised food grains.
The decision brought the centres on the verge of closure.
“The sensitive BJP government had started the scheme in 2004 which continues till date and had never faced any problem even during the UPA government. Then why now? It is for those poor who visit courts/tehsil and other government offices. They get food at modest rate,” he said. Kaushik said, “Two kilogram of salt and chickpeas were provided to the tribals. If state government stops even that it will be great injustice to tribal population.”
