Deletion of bogus ration cards in Bir Kalan village in Sangrur district, by Punjab Food & Civil Supplies department, headed by Akali cabinet minister Adesh Partap Singh Kairon, has substantiated Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) charge of a multi crore scam in the public distribution system (PDS) in the state. AAP in a startling disclosure has recently alleged that Parkash Singh Badal led Punjab government was neck deep in PDS scam worth more than Rs.4,500 crore and reiterated its demand for an independent inquiry from a sitting judge of Punjab & Haryana High Court. AAP leader Aman Arora while addressing a press conference here presented documents to the media pertaining to Bir Kalan village revealing that how the department of food civil supplies under Badal's son in law Adesh Partap Singh Kairon, was brazenly indulging in siphoning off ration worth crores. Aman Arora recalled he had revealed the multi crore PDS scam in Punjab on May 14 before the media in Chandigarh." After the revelation Kairon as expected denied the allegations.
However on the other hand Kairon was quick to order his department to delete107 bogus names of the 31 ration card holders in Bir Kalan village in Sangrur district. Arora while referring to the record available on the official website of Punjab Food and Civil Supplies department said even now ration comprising of several commodities was being distributed in the names of those girls who have already been married and moved to their respective houses of their in laws. Arora said similarly ration was also being siphoned off in the name of those who have passed away a long time ago. In yet another disclosure Arora said in Kairon's own village Kairon in Tarn Taran district depot holder Baldev Singh is distributing ration to fudged beneficiaries whose names have been registered as S, X, Y or even Z. And nowhere in the list the beneficiaries have been linked to the Adhar Card which he said was mandatory. " Such beneficiaries have been found in various lists of the depot holders all across Punjab and only a free and fair probe by a sitting high court judge could stop the siphoning off of the ration to bogus entities worth crores", added Arora. AAP leader Aman Arora during the press conference also expressed concern about the plight of depot holders in Punjab. Arora said why the Badal government was taking free services of the depot holders without paying them anything in return ?. He said till the depot holders were paid adequately for their public services corruption and fudging of beneficiaries would continue to occur at a large scale in Punjab.