The Hindu : Khurana alleges malpractices in scheme implementation

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jun 20, 2003

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Khurana alleges malpractices in scheme implementation

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI JUNE 19. The Delhi BJP chief, Madan Lal Khurana, today said the Union Ministry for Food and Civil Supplies has decided to set up a high-level task force to probe alleged irregularities by the Delhi Government in implementing the Antyodaya Anna Yojana of the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee.

Addressing a press conference after leading a Delhi BJP delegation to the Union Food and Civil Supplies Minister, Sharad Yadav, Mr. Khurana said the task force would be asked to submit a report within a month.

``Mr. Yadav assured us that all effective measures would be taken to ensure that cheap foodgrains provided by the Centre for the poor reached their destination and in no case reached the black market which was the case now,'' he claimed.

Earlier, in a memorandum submitted to the Union Minister, he charged that not a single person was given wheat at Rs.2 and rice at Rs.3 per kg under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana in the Capital. He demanded an intensive survey of the people living in slum clusters, resettlement colonies and on the footpaths and that all eligible persons be given ration card and subsidised food under the scheme.

Claiming that only 31,000 ration cards have been distributed so far by the Delhi Government against an estimated poor population of at least 2.5 lakhs, Mr. Khurana alleged that not a single red ration card had been issued to those without a roof. Instead of having a proper survey, the task of identifying the poor was left to MLAs, he asserted.

Referring to the photograph of the Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, printed on the Antyodaya ration card, Mr. Khurana demanded that the Delhi Government be instructed not to do so and mislead the people.

Accusing the Delhi Government of being anti-poor, Mr. Khurana warned that he would launch a mass movement if proper steps were not taken to distribute subsidised ration cards to those who deserve.

Other members of the BJP delegation were the Delhi BJP vice- presidents, Lal Bihari Tiwari, Harsharan Singh Balli, Surendra Pal Ratawal, Vijay Jolly; Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly, Jagdish Mukhi; Leader of Opposition in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Subhash Arya; and party spokesman, Mewa Ram Arya.

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