First find funds for festival gifts, L-G tells govt.

Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi has denied Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy’s charge that her office had refused to grant festival items for celebration of Pongal.

Ms. Bedi said the rules for the government scheme for distribution of festival items free of cost to all BPL/AAY cardholders have been in place since their approval by Raj Nivas in January.

The said rules were notified in the

Gazette of Puducherry on January 30.

“No file in the above matter is pending in the L-G Secretariat,” Ms. Bedi clarified.

‘Onus is on the govt.’

The government should provide funds and implement the scheme as per the notified rules instead of blaming L-G’s office, she added.

Ms. Bedi sought to clarify that while the Lieutenant Governor’s office was for welfare of the people, the onus was on the elected government to make funds available to carry out its public announcements.