look news india
On the occasion of Durga Puja, the biggest and grandest festival of West Bengal, the state government has given a big gift of the festival to the general public and lower middle class families. To reduce the pressure of rising inflation and food prices during the festive season, the Mamata Banerjee government has announced the launch of a special ‘Puja Ration Package’ through the State Food and Supplies Department. Under this welfare scheme, more than 2 crore ration card holding families of the state will be provided essential commodities used in their daily and festive dishes – especially flour, sugar and semolina – at almost half the price (subsidized rates) compared to the market price. This step of the government will directly benefit about 8 to 9 crore citizens of the state.
As per the official guidelines issued by the State Food and Supplies Department, this special distribution will be done through the Public Distribution System (PDS) i.e. ration shops. The government has clarified that this ‘festival quota’ will be given to cardholders in addition to the regular monthly ration quota:
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Flour (fortified flour): Wheat flour, which is sold at Rs 40 to 45 per kg in the market, will be given to ration card holders at the rate of around Rs 15 to 18 per kg with heavy subsidy.
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White Granulated Sugar: In view of the increasing demand for sweets during festivals, sugar which is sold at Rs 44 to 46 per kg in the open market, will be made available at PDS shops at a concessional price of around Rs 25 to Rs 28 per kg.
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Semolina: Special discount will also be given on semolina for puja enjoyment and home-made halwa and sweets, so that even the poorest of the poor families can celebrate Durga Utsav without any financial crisis.
The scope of this special relief scheme has been kept very wide so that no deprived section of the society remains untouched by the joy of the festival:
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Ration Card Categories: All valid ration cardholders covered under Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY), Priority Households (SPHH/PHH) and special ‘Khadya Sathi’ scheme of the state government will be eligible for this facility.
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Fixed quota per family: Every ration card holder family will be provided a pre-packed or weighed bundle of flour, sugar and semolina in prescribed quantity, which they will be able to get from their nearest ration dealer through biometric (e-POS) authentication.
To prevent black marketing, discounting or diversion of ration items in the market during the festive season, the Food Supply Department has implemented strict administrative measures:
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Formation of Special Task Force: Special teams of food inspectors have been formed in every block and municipality area, which will conduct surprise inspections at ration shops.
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Stock and Rate Board Essentials: It has been made mandatory to display boards in Bengali and English indicating the prescribed rates and stock availability of this special puja package outside all Fair Price Shops (FPS).
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Digital Tracking: GPS tracking of vehicles reaching ration shops from food grain warehouses and real-time data monitoring through POS machines is being ensured so that there are no irregularities in distribution.
Durga Puja in West Bengal is not just a religious festival but a huge social and cultural Mahakumbh, in which people of every class and community participate enthusiastically. Before the puja, edible oil, spices and other grocery items become expensive in the market, due to which the household budget of common families gets disturbed. At such a time, this decision of the government to provide basic food items at half the rate will not only lighten the burden on the pockets of the general public, but will also fill the joys of puja with sweetness and happiness in the homes of lakhs of families in the state.