Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Friday kick-started the much talked about welfare scheme meant to provide daily use clothes for the poor families in Dumka. The dhoti-sari-lungi scheme is set to provide the clothes two times in a year to below poverty line families at the cost of just Rs 10. The scheme is named after Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s grandparents Sona-Sobran. His father and Dumka MP Shibu Soren was also present on the occasion.
The CM, on the occasion, handed over the clothes to some beneficiaries and underlined the importance of the daily use clothes in making one’s life dignified. “The poor desperately need clothes to cover their bodies. The State Government is doing similar effort and eyeing those persons who do not have proper clothes to cover themselves up. It is the effort of the Government that the poor can also live a dignified life and become self-dependent,” said Soren at Dumka’s Indoor Stadium while inaugurating the scheme throughout the State.
The scheme is being implemented by the Food and Civil Supply Department. The clothes would be made available on the PDS shops and noted fabric company Mafatlal has been selected through bidding process. The Pioneer had on February 11, 2014 reported that the company has been roped in for providing dhoti-sari to the BPl families, as per earlier plan. The Government had later added lungi also into the list of attire which would be alternatively provided for dhoti twice in a year.
The CM in his address said that the scheme would benefit 35,09,833 families figuring into BPl, additional BPl and Antyodaya list. The Government has through annual budget and also the supplementary made the provision for over Rs 200 crore for the purpose.
“14,76,100 families have been provided food grains under the CM Food grain assistance scheme. 917900 families under Antyodaya Scheme besides 11,15,833 additional BPl families have availed the facility of purchasing 35 kilograms of rice per month at the rate of Rupee 1 by the State government. The Government has enhanced pensions for the poor,” said the CM. JMM MlA Nalin Soren was also present on the occasion.