You may find it hard to digest, but Punjab Government’s New Atta-Dal Scheme, started from Sunday, is in trouble as 26,000 depot holders across the State have decided not to go ahead with it, and announced “indefinite strike” on Monday.
Demanding rise in their payments, the depot holders have refused to distribute ration till their demands are met. “We have decided to go on strike for indefinite period as Punjab Government has not been able to address our concerns, and are not compensating us for distributing subsidized foodgrain under its scheme,” Punjab Depot Holders’ Union (PDHU) led by its president Gurjinder Singh Sidhu told The Pioneer.
The decision was taken after hours-long meeting between the 400-member delegation of the Punjab Depot Holders’ Union including 21 district units heads, and the state Food and Civil Supplies Minister Adesh Partap Singh Kairon on Monday which bore no fruitful results. “We were being paid Rs 1,500 to Rs 1,600 per month, which were not enough for all of us to meet the expenses. We worked for the State Government till November 30 on this payment, but as the Food Security Act involves additional expenses, we want raise in our payments,” PDHU president Sidhu told The Pioneer.
He said that all depot holders have decided not to distribute foodgrain under the Food Security Scheme unless they are paid Rs 20,000 each per month to manage the additional expenses, including ship rent, salary and transportation cost “as it would not be feasible to run our operations if not paid adequately”.
On the other hand, the State Government has been claiming that the proposal in this regard has been sent to the Centre. “We have sent the proposal to the Central Government proposing Rs 11,800 for every depot holder. As per latest inputs, the Centre has set up a Committee to discuss the matter, which would give its report in two months, and any decision in this regard would be taken only after that,” a senior official of the Food and Civil Supplies department said.
The development assumes significance as the depot holders’ decision has left the SAD-BJP Government red-faced which has “relaunched” its game-changer Atta-Dal scheme ‘rebranding’ Centre’s Food Security Act with much pomp and show. It is a known fact that the alliance’ popular Atta-Dal scheme, providing subsidised food grains to the poor, has turned the scales in its favour in 2012 State Assembly polls for forming the second consecutive Government in Punjab.
Depot holders, who have played a major role supporting the State Government for all these years in distributing ration under the victory-clincher scheme, are now feeling betrayed. “We have worked for them since past five years, and suffered huge losses, and they are not supporting our demands,” said a member of PSHU.
Even as the Minister concerned had assured the depot holders for pressurising the Centre to met their demands, they refused to relent. “They asked us to continue with the distribution of wheat but we completely declined to do that until they accept our demands. No written assurance will soften our stand…we are on the strike from today,” said Sidhu.