Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Saturday criticised the Centre’s decision to discontinue ration for nearly 11 lakh people in the state. He said the Punjab government would ensure that no beneficiary is deprived of food supplies.
Addressing a press conference, Mann alleged that the central government was running a campaign under which it was “first stealing votes and then stealing data,” and now intended to “steal ration.” He assured that his government would not allow “the stove of any house to cool down.”
“Punjab has wheat and contributes to the central pool, but how can the Centre take such a decision?” Mann asked. He added that the state had sought six months from the Centre for verification of ration cards and had also written to the Union government on the issue.
The Chief Minister further alleged that the BJP was violating people’s privacy by setting up camps in Punjab to collect data. He cited examples of inconsistencies in central schemes, saying, “First the Centre gives gas stoves under the Ujjwala scheme, and later says that families with gas stoves cannot benefit from the housing scheme.”
