4.81 lakh more state families come under Antyodaya plan

The Centre today approved an additional quota of 4.81 lakh 'Antyodaya Anna Yojana' cards to Maharashtra following an announcement in this regard in the Union Budget.

The poorest among the poor are benefitted under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana, under which the government provides foodgrains to eligible families at nearly half the price at which it offers the same to the below poverty line people, official sources said here.

So far, there were 19.50 lakh families who were availing the scheme of the total 53 lakh below poverty line (BPL) families in the state. With the addition of 4.81 lakh families more, the total beneficiaries under the scheme will rise to nearly 25 lakh families, the sources added.

The additional quota of Antyodaya beneficiaries has been announced by the centre for the state following finance minister P Chidambaram's announcement in the budget yesterday that 2.5 crore more families will be included in the scheme.

Meanwhile, social activist Medha Patkar has criticised the Budget. Though the general Budget has a human face, yet it indicates the neglect of the unorganised sector in the country, Patkar said today.

"Though the Budget includes measures for the textile sector, the de-reservation of 30 items from the small scale sector and reduction in customs duty, suggests import orientation and in turn loss of jobs", the NBA leader said.

"The Budget also clearly misses the roadmap of reducing borrowings from global to national sources", Patkar said in a statement here.

"The shocking rise in the defence allocation upto Rs 83,000 crore while not providing Rs 25,000 crore needed for guaranteeing employment to all, is against the priorities in the Common Minimum Programme of the UPA", Patkar said.

"The comparative analysis apparently suggest less allocation for urban renewal and more for rural infrastructure, but this may be a clear indication of increased borrowing and fdi for urban development", she said.