Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reconsider the Centre’s decision of scrapping the sugar subsidy for families below poverty line (BPL), which Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley implemented in February.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Mr. Modi, had decided in January to do away with the subsidy for BPL families as the term was no longer used as a category in State-level food security legislations. In May, the Centre decided to restore the subsidy, but at a reduced level, for beneficiaries of the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY), which caters to the poorest families in the country. Instead of subsidising 6 kg per family, the Centre approved subsidy for 1 kg for AAY beneficiaries.
‘Inappropriate move’
Citing the CCEA’s decision, Mr. Kejriwal wrote to Mr. Modi on Tuesday that wages had been falling and unemployment increasing, making the decision to scrap the sugar subsidy inappropriate for now. He asked Mr. Modi to reconsider the decision, saying that lakhs of poor families had been affected.
Speaking at a press conference here, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia that people across the country, including in Delhi, were facing problems as a result of the Centre’s decision.
72.78 lakh beneficiaries
As per the Delhi Food and Civil Supplies Department, there are 72.78 lakh beneficiaries of the government’s public distribution system (PDS). Before it was scrapped, the sugar subsidy was given to States by the Centre at a rate of ₹18.5 per kg. The States bought the sugar from the market and sold it at fair price ration shops at ₹13.5 per kg.
