Pondy Welfare Minister stages sit-in at Raj Nivas over rice scheme issue

Puducherry Welfare Minister M

Kandasamy on Thursday staged a sit in protest at Raj Nivas here, urging the Lt Governor to facilitate the implementation of free rice scheme for APL families also.

The Minister along with two Congress MLAs rushed to the LT Governor's office to stage the protest and appealed to the Centre to release immediately funds to Union Territory to tackle COVID-19.

They alleged that the free rice scheme now extended to the BPL families under a scheme of the Centre was not also fully implemented.

The state government sponsored scheme to distribute rice to the APL families was facing hiccups because of "negative stand of Lt Governor Kiran Bedi," the protesters alleged.

 

In a related development, three legislators belonging to the opposition AIADMK along with those from the AINRC and BJP staged a dharna on the precincts of the territorial assembly seeking undelayed implementation of the rice scheme to benefit the APL families.

Chief Minister V Narayanasamy held discussions at the cabinet room with the agitating MLAs and promised that he would initiate immediate steps to ensure free rice for APL families also and following this assurance they gave up the protest.

Presently, the rice scheme is being implemented to benefit the BPL families holding red colour ration cards in keeping with the central government's decision to make the rice and dhal available in the context of the current lockdown necessitated by the COVID-19.

The political parties and MLAs urge the Lt Governor to ensure that the free rice scheme for the APL families was also implemented to relieve the card holders of the current hardships arising out of the lockdown.

Chief Minister V Narayanasamy had on Sunday said that he brought to the notice of the Prime Minister "unnecessary intervention" by Bedi in the implementation of his government's rice scheme for the APL families during the lockdown here.

Reacting to the allegations, Bedi termed as "lie and misrepresentation" Narayanasamy's briefing to Narendra Modi that she had been hindering the implementation of the scheme for APL (above poverty line) families in the Union territory.