Chandigarh, May 2: Fulfilling the commitment to deliver ration to the people at the doorsteps seamlessly, the Punjab Cabinet led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday gave approval to rollout home delivery service of Atta from 1st October and shall be implemented across the State in three phases.
Conceding the proposal of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs department to introduce home delivery of Atta under National Food Security Act (NFSA), the entire state has been divided into eight zones and the service shall commence in one zone in the first phase, in two zones in the second phase and in the remaining five zones in the last and third phase.
According to the spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office, the Government shall offer, to every beneficiary enrolled under NFSA, the option of home delivery of Atta. Any beneficiary, who wishes to physically collect his entitlement of wheat from a Fair Price Shop (FPS), shall have an option of OPT-OUT through a suitable IT intervention freely available to him. The delivery cycle of distribution shall now be changed from quarterly cycle to monthly cycle.
The Home Delivery Service shall introduce the concept of Mobile Fair Price Shops (MPS). The MPS shall be a transport vehicle, preferably fitted with GPS facility and cameras to live stream the handing over of Atta to the beneficiary. It shall mandatorily have the facility of weighing scales in order to satisfy the customer about the weight of the Atta before it is delivered. All mandatory requirements of biometric verification, handing over of printed weight slip to the beneficiary, etc. shall be provided by the MPS. All MPS licences shall be issued by the Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs. An MPS shall enjoy a status similar to the ‘Fair Price Shop’ under the NFSA. Only MPS shall offer the facility of home delivery of Atta. FPS shall continue to offer the existing facility of delivery of wheat to the beneficiary, and the beneficiary will have to visit the FPS and physically collect the entitled quantity of wheat.
Portability between any MPS and FPS shall continue to be allowed. Where the beneficiary has chosen the facility of home delivery of Atta, it shall also automatically imply that the beneficiary has chosen an MPS as the favoured Fair Price Shop and the MPS shall then be tasked with the responsibility of delivering the allocated quantity of Atta at the doorstep of such a beneficiary.
Wherever Atta is being given to a beneficiary, the existing amount of Rs 2/Kg being charged from the beneficiary shall be collected by the MPS. For this purpose the MPS shall preferably collect the amount through digital payment mode. Only where the beneficiary does not have access to digital payments shall the MPS collect the payment in cash.
A Special Purpose Vehicle shall be formed by MARKFED to undertake all activities required to successfully offer the service of Home Delivery of Atta to the beneficiaries of NFSA.
The Cabinet also decided that the State Government shall bear the entire cost of grinding Wheat into Atta even though the guidelines framed under NFSA allowed the recovery of these grinding charges from the beneficiary. The new service is, therefore, expected to result in a saving of about Rs. 170 crore for the beneficiaries as regards their present expenditure on converting Wheat into Atta at the local atta chakki.
OKAYS RELIEF OF RS. 5400/- PER ACRE ASSUMING 50% LOSS TO COTTON CROP (2021) IN SRI MUKTSAR SAHIB
To extend financial relief to the farmers out of State Budget, the Cabinet also gave approval to provide relief of Rs. 5400/- per acre assuming 50% loss to the cotton crop in entire area in Sri Muktsar Sahib district. Resultantly, Rs.38.08 crore and Rs. 3.81 crore would be released to these affected farmers and farm labourers respectively out of state budget.
Pertinently, a relief to the tune of Rs. 4.74 crore to the farmers and of Rs.47.44 lakh to the farm labourers was disbursed in Sri Muktsar Sahib in lieu of loss of cotton crop in 2021 due to Pink ball worm attack.
APPROVES ANNUAL AND AUDIT REPORTS OF BOCWWB FOR 2015-16 AND 2016-17
The Cabinet also approves annual and audit reports for the year 2015-16 and 2016-17 of the Punjab Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board (BOCWWB) besides allowing to present the same before the Punjab Vidhan Sabha in accordance with law.
