Punjab CM urges Centre to change criteria for allocation of 'chana whole' from per household to per person

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday urged the Centre to change the criteria for allocation of 'chana whole' from per household to per person to ensure equitable distribution of foodgrains among the migrants amid the lockdown in wake of COVID-19.

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday urged the Centre to change the criteria for allocation of 'chana whole' from per household to per person to ensure equitable distribution of foodgrains among the migrants amid the lockdown in wake of COVID-19. According to an official release, the Chief Minister has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking directions to the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution to this effect as the existing guidelines of the Ministry would create problems for the migrants as well as the state government.

As per the guidelines issued on May 15 by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, while wheat was to be distributed at 5 kg per person per month for two months, 'chana whole' would be distributed at 1 kg per household per month, the release said. It said this meant that while the benefit of wheat would be extended to migrants equivalent to 10 per cent of existing NFSA beneficiaries in Punjab i.e. 14.1 lakh migrants that of 'chana whole' would benefit only 3.6 lakh migrant households.

`Chana whole' would be distributed at 1 kg per household per month for May and June. The two sets of instructions related to the distribution of wheat and chana have created a situation whereby the state shall be required to distribute 14.1 lakh packets of wheat along with only 3.6 lakh packets of chana, the release said.

"Understandably, a large number of migrant workers who are residing without families in Punjab would get the allocation of wheat but they would not get any chana. And conversely, some individual migrants would get chana intended to be distributed to a household of 4 persons, which would lead to discontentment amongst a major chunk of migrants," the chief minister noted. (ANI)

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