BJP left fuming as Kamal Nath government orders closure of ‘Deendayal Rasoi Yojana’
The Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh has ordered the closure of the erstwhile Bharatiya Janata Party government’s ambitious ‘Deen Dayal Rasoi Yojana’ in the state. Under this scheme, the government had set up several Deen Dayal kitchens in the state where subsidised meals were made available to the poor at just Rs 5 per plate. The order to close these kitchens was issued on June 20 by the Kamal Nath government.
Officials responsible for running the kitchens said that the Food department was not supplying food items and therefore they were forced to close the kitchens. The BJP said that the Congress government wants to rename the scheme from ‘Deen Dayal Rasoi Yojana’ to ‘Indira plate’ just like the ‘Saral Bijli Yojana’ was renamed to ‘Indira Griha Jyoti Yojana’.
Former CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan slammed the Congress government for failing to make adequate arrangements to provide food to the Deen Dayal kitchens. He said that the government is taking decisions against the interest of the public.
“This government is closing all the good schemes of the previous government. It has become insensitive. We started Deendayal Rasoi Yojana to provide nutritious food to the poor who flock to cities in search of jobs. If a labour eats at a hotel, he will pay his day earnings there, how he will feed his kids and family? We started this scheme for them but this government stopped providing food items to these kitchens and didn’t arrange anything to ensure these kitchens function,” he said.
The ruling Congress, however, rejected the BJP’s allegation and said that it will relaunch the scheme in a systematic and useful manner. Food Minister Pradyumna Singh Tomar said that BJP people were running these kitchens and the funds released by the government were diverted.
“Deendayal (Rasoi Yojana) scheme is not closed. We will launch this in a systematic manner. It was the Congress party that brought the Food Security Act in 2013. The BJP was doing favouritism in allotting these kitchens… Madhya Pradesh is the first state in the country that has launched a scheme in 18 districts under which a person can buy ration from any shop using the aadhar card,” he said.
The Deendayal Rasoi Yojana was launched by the previous BJP government in April last year. The government had launched this scheme to provide nutritious food to people at cheaper rates. Under this scheme, anyone can have a full meal for Rs 5 which includes rotis, rice, one sabzi (veggie) and dal (pulses).
