TNI Bureau: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik landed in another trouble as the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) slammed him for the Rs 2 BPL Rice Scheme, saying the distribution of rice of 25 kg per month at low rate from 35 kg as illegal diversion.
The CAG in its report said that the government is depriving the BPL families giving 25 kg rice every month, while the people under the poor category should get 35 kg of rice every month.
The CAG report said that the government is providing rice to BPL people under the centrally-sponsored Targetted Public Distribution System (TPDS). As per the system, the BPL families should be supplied 35 kg of rice every month at Rs 5.65 per kg.
However, CAG found that the rice was supplied to BPL families 25 kg every month at Rs 2 per kg since September 2002.
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While the state government is batting for its manner of distribution saying that more BPL families are getting the benefits, the Opposition has now an opportunity to take on the government on the issue.
The state government said that by making the 35 kg scheme a 25 kg in Odisha, they covered 48.58 lakh BPL families in 2002-03 while it was 42.32 lakh in 2011-12.
The CAG also said that the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution also did not consider state government’s request for allocation of 25 kg of rice, and the government was asked not to cover more BPL families with same amount of rice.
The report said that the state covered only 38.85 lakh families by giving 25 kg rice per month, while 92.69 lakh tonnes of rice could have been given to 27.75 lakh BPL families.
CAG further alleged that the BPL families were given rice at Rs 2, which helped the BJD to win the 2009 assembly polls and even the Panchayat polls this year.