SAD,BJP leaders authorised ‘distributors’ of blue cards

There are a total of 43,776 families in this district who qualify as Badal government’s ‘poor’,including the 8,700 new ones identified in 2009. The district administration says the code of conduct before 2009 Parliamentary polls prevented them from issuing blue cards to new beneficiaries. But last year,as the administration once again reminded the food and civil supplies department of the waiting families,Jagir Kaur distributed 2,700 cards in Bholath.

“The department never gave us permission to distribute the new cards. When we got information about Bibi Jagir Kaur distributing blue cards in Bholath,we wrote to the department for permission to distribute them across all four Assembly segments. But we are yet to get a reply,” says Kapurthala Deputy Commissioner Kavita Singh.

Jagbir Kaur,however,says she had sought the permission of Food and Civil Supplies Minister Adesh Pratap Singh Kairon to distribute the blue cards.

Congress MLA from Bholath Sukhpal Singh Khaira says the cards had been lying with Bibi Jagir Kaur for 23 months before she distributed them last month. “She started distributing the cards made on February 24,2009,in my constituency in 2011. Where was the ration going all this while? And how does a small district like Kapurthala have 8,700 more poor families. Was the first survey bogus or the 2009 review? Now the number of poor has once again shot up in the state after a third review,” he says.

Interestingly,Khaira found support in BJP minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla,who too questioned Bibi Jagir Kaur’s prerogative to give away the blue cards.

While it was Jagir Kaur in Bholath,in Ferozepur’s Fazilka segment,it is municipal councillors of Akali Dal and the BJP. In this case,since no new ‘poor’ families could be detected but a high number of 1,957 families were found undeserving in a fresh survey in 2010,Fazilka councillors are clamouring for distribution of above poverty line (APL) cards. Congress councillor Harnek Singh has lodged an official complaint through a letter stating that while BJP councillors were distributing ration cards in their wards,he was asked by the food and civil supplies department to accompany an Akali Dal or BJP councillor to get ration cards for his ward. Last month,Akali councillor Savi Kathpal,too,distributed APL cards in his ward with much fanfare.

For those in the ruling party,the bounty does not stop here. Two leaders of the BJP’s youth wing,Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha,Manish Chabbra,president of BJYM’s Fazilka unit,and Tarsem Lal were found to be getting ‘free’ atta and dal even without the blue cards.