Punjab government today announced it would cover 7 lakh more families in the state under its subsidised foodgrain scheme.
The decision was taken today by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal during a series of meetings to review various social security schemes, an official release said.
Badal directed the Food and Civil Supplies department to immediately initiate the process to bring 7 lakh additional families under the ambit of the 'Atta-Dal' scheme, so as to provide them benefits currently being extended to nearly 28 lakh families in the state.
Also Read
At present, 1.13 crore people are covered under this scheme and with the addition of 7 lakh more families, the total number of people covered would go up to 1.41 crore, covering half of the state's population.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister also gave his nod for distribution of 75,000 cycles to Class XI girls studying in government schools across the state from August 15 this year. The scheme involves expenditure of Rs 39.50 crore.
The Chief Minister was informed by the secretary of social security department that state government had already distributed 1,44,324 cycles to the girls of class XI and XII during 2015-16 at the cost of Rs 39.50 crore.
The department has disbursed pension to nearly 18 lakh beneficiaries until April this year, the release said.
Badal himself called up few such beneficiaries randomly from his mobile to get their feedback about timely disbursement of pension to them.
He also directed officials to call up these beneficiaries to redress their grievances promptly.
In order to streamline the system for getting financial assistance under social security schemes, the Chief Minister asked the social security department to ensure strict compliance of the amended notification for new applicants.
As per the revised notification, the application forms could now be recommended by Sarpanch and one member of panchayat, or one Nambardar and one member Panchayat.
Recomendation can also be made by two members of panchayat, or Chairperson/Member Block Samiti and one member of panchayat, or Chairperson/Member, Zila Parishad and one panchayat member.
In urban areas such recommendations could be made by any councilor in the concerned local bodies.
Badal also took stock of Bhagat Puran Singh Health
Insurance Scheme and asked the Principal Secretary of Health Department to regularly monitor it.
Nearly 15,000 beneficiaries have been treated in various government and private empanelled hospitals for which a sum of Rs 10 crore has already been paid to them by the insurance company as medical claims, the release said.
Seven private hospitals have been dis-empanelled under the scheme for providing deficient services to beneficiaries, it said.
The Chief Minister also monitored the disbursement of post-matric and pre-matric scholarships for Scheduled Caste and OBC students under centrally sponsored schemes.
He constituted a committee comprising his Principal Secretary, expenditure department secretary and secretary for welfare of SCs and BCs to take steps for timely release of funds from Centre under different scholarship schemes.
Badal also asked all the departments to compile a compact database including name, complete address with mobile/telephone numbers of all the beneficiaries under various schemes to seek their vital inputs for bringing further improvement in these schemes and quick redressal of their grievances, if any.
