The Tripura government on Thursday, launched a new program to distribute sugar through the Public Distribution System (PDS) here at an event in Agartala town hall.
In the inauguration, Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb in presence of Manoj Kanti Deb, Minister for Food, Civil Supply and Consumer Affairs (FCS & CA), MP Pratima Bhowmik and MP Rebati Kumar Tripura and other officials distributed packets of sugar to consumers of ration shops as part of the state government's bid to give sugar to consumers of fair price shops in order to provide relief to poorer sections of people.
Chief Minister Biplab Deb commended the work of the Department of Food, Civil Supply, and Consumer affairs and said that in the last 14-15 months, the Tripura government is now among the top five states in Public Distribution System in India.
The Chief Minister criticized the previous Left Front government by saying that the then government never wanted anything to work systematically but when people of the state in 2014 saw the work of PM Modi, who introduced various digital initiatives which brought transparency they got inspired.
Without naming Manik Sarkar, Deb said that his predecessor, who was the Chief Minister of the state for four times, " he was projected as Mr. Clean, but if it was so, how during ePDS and computerization of fair price shops, 63,000 bogus ration cards were found in the state and for which who is responsible?".
According to the CM, the state government has taken steps to ensure food security and is dedicated towards giving the benefit of all schemes to the poorest of the poor so that Tripura is transformed into a 'Model State' in three years time.
Meanwhile, Manoj Kanti Deb, state Food, Civil Supply, and Consumer Affairs Minister said that after 'masoor dal', from today, the Tripura government added sugar @Rs. 23 per Kg per card per month to the list of essential commodities to be distributed through a network of 1809 fair price shops (FPS) spread throughout the state.
The Chief Minister also informed that proposal for distribution of mustard oil through fair price shops (FPS) is also in pipeline besides other essential commodities like detergent powder, soap, incense sticks, stationeries in 100 fair price shops in and around capital Agartala on an experimental basis.
Many women gathered at the function expressed that they will be benefited with the reintroduction of sugar distribution through PDS as they will now get sugar in less than half of the current market price. Earlier, sugar used to be distributed through FPS, but the previous Left Front government stopped it alleging that the Center was not ready to bear the subsidy amount directly during purchase and would rather reimburse it but it was not possible for the then state government.
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