Punjab Government’s empty vessels are literally making much noise. Its move to woo the voters by distributing utensils worth Rs100 crore before the 2017 elections has run into rough weather for the time being due to lack of coordination between its two departments.
The decision is now with Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.
SAD-BJP Government, in its budget this year, had announced Rs 79 crore to distribute utensils’ sets across the state to Mahila Mandals, NGOs and clubs for use during social and community functions — in an apparent attempt to woo the voters.
For the same, the State Rural Development and Panchayats Department had floated tenders with June 20 as deadline. Even as six companies from Punjab made their bid, the work could not be allotted as the State Controller of Stores has raised objections.
On one hand, the Controller of Stores has been maintaining that it wanted to purchase the utensils, the Rural Development and Panchayats Department, on the other, has made it clear that it would procure all the utensils’ kits by itself as the scheme has to be implemented through it.
“The utensils would be distributed by the Rural Development and Panchayat Department and that was why it has been given the responsibility for the purchasing the same. The tenders were floated and all that was left was work allotment. But now, the Controller of Stores has raised objections and this halted the work,” a senior government functionary told The Pioneer.
The official stated that owing to the tug-of-war between the two departments, the matter has now reached the court of the Chief Minister.
This is not for the first time that the SAD-BJP government’s pre-poll measure, to woo the voters, by distributing utensils kit bearing Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s pictures has hit a roadblock.
Initially, the government had planned to distribute utensils before 2012 state assembly polls and then before the 2014 lok Sabha polls. But with the implementation of the election code of conduct, the scheme could not materialise.
learning lessons from the past, the SAD-BJP coalition wanted to complete with the process of distribution before the implementation of the election code and that was why it had initiated the process much before. Earlier, the budget was Rs 50 crore, which has now been doubled to Rs 100 crore.
“We had floated the tenders in June and had fixed June 20 as deadline. The work was to be allotted by June end with the condition that the firm has to provide utensils within three month’s time. But now, it will take time,” said an official from the state Rural Development and Panchayat Department, requesting anonymity.
SAD-BJP Government’s Atta-Dal scheme turned out to be a game-changer and helped the combine to form the Government in Punjab for the second consecutive term in 2012.
like the Atta-Dal scheme ration card, bicycles to girl students of Class XI and XII, and the ‘108’ ambulance service, it is expected that the utensils would also have Chief Minister Badal’s picture, along with logo Punjab Government’s logo and slogan ‘Raaj Nahi Sewa’.