CM Yogi accuses SP of usurping poor’s ration cards before 2017
Lucknow, August 17: Fulfilling the hopes of ration dealers, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched the e-POS based fair price seller feedback system under single stage door-step delivery at Lok Bhawan on Monday. By pressing the button, Yogi gifted the increase in the profit of more than 78 thousand fair price sellers of Uttar Pradesh (from Rs. 90 to Rs. 125 per quintal).
He said that with the 35 rupee increase in margin money (10 rupees for the central government and 25 rupees for the state government), you have made a big leap forward. We have written to the Government of India to increase it by another 25 rupees. It will take time, but once this work is done, you will have even better conditions.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath appealed to the fair price sellers distributing government rations to do work that brings respect. Work that lacks respect should never be done. This harms generations and has adverse effects on them.
He mentioned the changes that have come after 2017 and said that now no one can point a finger at you. Before 2017, SP members used to keep the ration cards of the poor in their homes, causing them to starve, but that is no longer the case.
Chief Minister said that through the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, 15 crore people in the state are continuously receiving free rations. Arrangements are being made to deliver rations to the homes of destitute and disabled people. Two crore families have been provided free LPG connections and 1.53 crore families have been provided free electricity connections. Ten thousand ration shops have been established as Annapurna Bhavans. These results demonstrate the state’s progress.
Chief Minister expressed the plight of fair price vendors before 2017. He said, “Even then, you worked hard, but if the government didn’t send rations, you were abused. You had to bear the brunt of their looting. People looked at you with suspicion. The very word ‘kotedar’ irritated them. It wasn’t your fault. Someone committed the sin, and someone else suffered. The people in power at that time had bad intentions.
Referring to the Basic Education Council, the Chief Minister said that some people say they will make a video of the school, and they should. Through Operation Kayakalp, we have ensured that every school has good flooring. The government is providing separate toilets for boys and girls, drinking water, smart classes, digital libraries, furniture, bags, books, two uniforms, shoes, socks, and sweaters to 16 million children. Before 2017, there were no school buildings. If there were buildings, there were no teachers; if there were teachers, there were no students. Due to a lack of drinking water and toilets, half the children dropped out of school before the end of the school session. Now, under the Nipun Bharat Abhiyan, schoolchildren in Uttar Pradesh have mastered not only alphabets but also sentence structure. They also receive science, English, and mathematics education in school. Children are now doing well.
Chief Minister said that those who have failed to achieve anything level blame and counter-accusation. Such people want to turn change into negativity. The same situation has happened with all of you. To improve public perception of fair price vendors, the government began installing e-POS machines in 2017. We promised a single-door approach, meaning rations would be delivered directly from the FCI warehouse to the Fair Price Shop. There would be no barriers between the government and the fair price vendors. We would establish direct communication, which would yield positive results.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath stated that transparency has brought about greater respect in the villages and support them in their joys and sorrows. Trust in them has increased. On the Prime Minister’s orders, the fair price vendor shop is being renovated into the Annapurna Bhavan. This year, ₹500 crore has been allocated for this purpose. There will also be a shop and warehouse. Previously, you could only sell rations, but now there are 39 such items.
He added that previously, if the government was involved in the looting, how could change have happened? Just criticizing fair price shop operators doesn’t bring about change. The state’s Food and Logistics Department has also undergone extensive reform. In 2017, when a thousand applications were received during Janta Darshan, approximately 300 of them concerned discrepancies related to ration distribution. Now, not a single complaint is received regarding ration distribution.
The Chief Minister said that you have worked to implement the government’s schemes on the ground. We are pleased that the things we provided for the poor have reached them. You worked even during the Corona period. The Chief Minister said that previously, the FairPrice shop operator’s monthly income was approximately 12,750. Now, at the rate of 125 rupees, they will receive 16,250 rupees for distributing 100 quintals. In addition, the shop’s profit is separate.
Present on the occasion were Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, Brajesh Pathak, Cabinet Minister for Food and Logistics Manoj Pandey, Minister of State Satish Chandra Sharma, Rajya Sabha MP Brajlal, Mayor Sushma Kharwal, MLAs Neeraj Bora, Yogesh Shukla, Legislative Council members Lalji Prasad Nirmal, Ramchandra Pradhan, Mukesh Sharma, and others.
