In a setback to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, the Election Commission today directed the Akali-BJP government to immediately stop distribution of six-month quota of subsidised food grains to beneficiaries.
"The Election Commission has issued directions to Punjab government to immediately stop distribution of six-month ration of food grains in advance to eligible Blue Card Holders," an EC spokesperson said here.
The Commission directed the Punjab government that the food grain of current monthly entitlement could be distributed to beneficiaries only through the normal mechanism of fair price shops, the spokesperson said.
The EC cautioned the state government that no food supply inspector or political functionary should be allowed for the distribution of subsidised food grains in the state.
Punjab Food Minister Adaish Partap Singh Kairon had last month started distributing quota of subsidised food grains for six months to the beneficiaries under the new 'Atta Dal' scheme, instead of monthly distribution.
The SAD-BJP government, which had tweaked the National Food Security Scheme and merged with its Atta Dal scheme, was expecting to cover 1.42 crore beneficiaries which would be about 50 per cent of the state's population.
Earlier, 15.40 lakh families were covered under the old scheme but now under the new scheme, the unit of beneficiary had been changed from family to individual.
The government had announced to give wheat at Re 1 per kg and 2.5 kg of pulses at Rs. 20 per kg to beneficiaries.
Kairon had earlier claimed that there would be no bearing of the Model Code of Conduct for the Lok Sabha polls on the roll-out of the scheme.
