AAP indulges in wasteful expenditure on distribution of flour in Punjab: Congress MLA Khaira

Jalandhar, May 4, 2022: Congress MLA from Bholath and former Leader of Opposition Sukhpal Singh Khaira on Tuesday lambasted AAP government in Punjab, for indulging in wasteful expenditure over distribution of flour instead of utilizing the same money for the welfare of the common man.
Khaira said Punjab government would spend more than Rs. 670 crore annually on the distribution of flour to nearly 1.59 crore beneficiaries who hail from poor families.

Each beneficiary would now get 5 kilogram of flour every month instead of 15 kilogram of wheat every 3 months.
Khaira said it is surprising that Bhagwant Mann has to come out with such a scheme of distribution of ration at the door step, when there was no demand whatsoever from any quarter of the society.
He said he suspected that this scheme was introduced in Punjab on the direction of AAP national convener & Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal to benefit his own associates, who might be given contract for the distribution of ration.
These few select distributors would not only indulge in large scale corruption but would also benefit the AAP leaders to keep them in good humor.
Punjab was already reeling under Rs. 3 Lakh crore debt and to further burden it with Rs. 670 crore for the distribution of ration is not only bad economics but bad politics as well.
Moreover there are over 19, 000 ration depot holders in Punjab who are already up in arms against the AAP government as they fear the distribution of ration at the door step would simply make them jobless.
Khaira said though he welcomed one MLA one pension move of the Mann government that would save about Rs. 19.63 crore annually but spending Rs. 670 crore annually on distribution of flour is deplorable.
Khaira said the free distribution of flour to the beneficiaries will also affect the livelihood of small flour mills(Chakki’s) situated virtually in every village of Punjab, as they grind the wheat distributed to these beneficiaries and earn a living. Khaira said this erroneous and corrupt move of the AAP will definitely affect their earnings.
Khaira also stated that the consumers got their wheat grinded as fresh flour as per their need which had much better nutrition value, whereas now god knows under what circumstances the wheat would be grinded into flour at such a huge level in the state and whether it would be worth eating or not, as flour cannot be stored very long.
The same money could be utilised to upgrade infrastructure in schools, dispensaries, veterinary hospitals and other public infrastructures.