In a classic example of what happens to welfare schemes announced by a government due to bureaucratic red tapism and political upheavals over 35 lakh BPl families across the State are devoid of Iodized salt at 50 paise/Kg even years after the scheme was announced by the State Government.
According to officials, after a symbolic spree of distribution of the salt in a few pockets of the State in the Financial Year 2012-13, the process for procurement and distribution of the salt is still continuing and it may take another couple of months to reach the beneficiaries–possibly just when the Model Code of Conduct
before Assembly polls in the State would come into force.
After repeated tenders and their cancellations due to one or the other reason, the Food and Civil Supplies department has once again chosen a Gujarat based firm Sriram Kem Foods for
Rs 30 crore deal that will be for
supplying salt to the BPl families, sources said.
Special Secretary, Food & Civil Supplies department Ravi Ranjan said that the tender for the scheme has been finalised and the agreement was likely to be made soon.
All formalities were likely being completed within a week, he added declining to speak more as he did not "see" the matter.
However, officials of the department revealed that the scheme was of continuous nature, which was rejuvenated by successive governments.
The most recent was announced by the then Shibu Soren led Government in 2010, which could hardly be implemented tin the four-year period, they added.
Meanwhile, the present tender process has also attracted controversies as the political party activists have raised questions over the procedure.
BJP Kisan Morcha member Sanjay Kumar Poddar alleged that there were irregularities in the tender process.
Blaming that the government was purchasing the salt at higher prices, Poddar said, "The quality of salt that is being supplied through PDS is poor and going by the same quality the rates should have been Rs 6.40 per kg to Rs 6.80 per kg, whereas the government has allotted tender at Rs 12.75 per kg.
Even premium quality salt is sold at lesser price in open market. We will seek investigation in the matter."
The scheme was first announced in early 2010 in the regime of the then Shibu Soren government when then Deputy Chief Minister Raghuvar Das, in-charge of Finance department, had said that the state would supply iodised salt to Below Poverty line (BPl) families at 25 paise per kg.
The scheme was announced again in the Arjun Munda government by Deputy CM Hemant Soren.
The State Cabinet finally passed the proposal in August first week this year but the prices just got doubled (50 paise per kg) due to the Reserve Bank of India
decision of withdrawing 25 paise coin from circulation.
As many as 35 lakh BPl families would be benefitted through the scheme, which has been launched to check the spread of diseases and other ailments caused due to deficiency of iodine.
The State had also requested the Centre to include additional 11,44000 BPl families in the BPl list.
According to survey Report by the UNICEF in Jharkhand Total goiter rate (TGR) was 0.9 per cent and slightly less than two-thirds (64.2 per cent) of the households were found to be consuming adequately iodized salt.
Iodized salt was available across the state and the cost varied between Re. 1 and Rs. 8 per kg.
The report stated thatthe consumption of adequately iodized salt should increase from 64.2 per cent to the goal of more than 90 per cent, sustained efforts were required in this place to consolidate the current coverage of adequately iodized salt and increase it to greater than 90 per cent.