Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday accused the BJP-led central government of hatching a “conspiracy” to stop free ration for 55 lakh people in the state. He said he would not allow the Centre to “take away” the rights of Punjab’s people.
In a written message, Mann alleged that the Central government had issued an order to discontinue free ration for 55 lakh beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).
“Till now, 1.53 crore people were getting ration in Punjab, but the BJP government has decided to end this facility for 55 lakh people. One in every three poor families is being denied ration. This is not just a government decision, it is a direct attack on the plates of the poor, labourers, farmers and ordinary families of Punjab,” Mann said.
The chief minister further claimed that since July, the Centre had already stopped ration for 23 lakh poor people in Punjab on the grounds that they had not completed the e-KYC process. This is the second time in a week that Mann has levelled such allegations.
Meanwhile, Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi dismissed the charges as “false and misleading”. He said the Punjab government was trying to spread lies to mislead the public.
