Himachal Pradesh government is contemplating the issuance of electronic ration cards under the public distribution system in the state to enable beneficiaries to draw ration from any depot, Food and Supplies Minister G S Bali told the Legislative Assembly today.
Participating in the debate on Budget for 2013-14, he said a Rs 20-crore proposal for introducing the electronic ration cards system has been sent to the Centre for approval and a provision of Rs 175 crores has been made in the Budget to continue the subsidised ration scheme for all ration card holders.
The electronic ration cards will help end the monopoly of depot holders, he said.
The government has decided to increase the quota of mustard oil from one litre to two litres per month and stop the supply of gram and replace it with others including green gram and black gram pulses.
Bali, who also holds the portfolio of Transport, accused the previous BJP government of creating a financial mess in the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC), whose losses have mounted to Rs 325 crores due to wrong policies.
The Provident Fund of employees amounting to Rs 69 crores was misutilised by the HRTC, he also alleged.
Bali said Skill Development Allowance of Rs 1,000 per month has been proposed in the Budget and the scheme would be operational after the opening of skill development centres, which would include two at Shimla and Kangra.
"There is demand of two lakh earth movers and crane operators in industries and the government would ensure that trained staff was made available to meet the demand," he said adding that separate ITIs (Industrial Training Institutes) would also be opened for women in the state.
