To ensure food security for every citizen of the state, the Punjab government would cover seven lac more families under the ‘Atta-Dal’ scheme. A decision to this effect was taken by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal during a series of meetings to review various social security schemes and pro-poor initiatives here at his official residence this morning.The Chief Minister asked the Food & Civil Supplies department to immediately initiate the process to bring these seven lac additional families within the ambit of Atta-Dal scheme so as to provide the same benefits already being extended to nearly 28 lac families. At present, 1.13 crore people were covered under this scheme and with the addition of seven lac more families, the total number of people covered under this scheme would go up to 1.41 crore, which would nearly cover half of state’s population.
Likewise, the Chief Minister also gave nod to launch another phase for distribution of 75,000 cycles, to the girl students studying in class +1 of Government Schools across the state under Mai Bhago Vidya Scheme from the coming August 15, involving an expenditure of Rs. 22 cr. The Chief Minister was apprised by the Secretary Social Security that the state government had already distributed 1,44,324 cycles to the girls of class +1 and +2 during 2015-16 at the cost of Rs. 39.50 cr. He also informed the Chief Minister that various social security pension schemes were up-to-date as the department has already disbursed the pension to the nearly 18 lac beneficiaries up to this April. The Chief Minister personally called up few such beneficiaries randomly from his mobile to get their feedback about the timely disbursement of pensions to them. He also directed the concerned Secretaries and Heads of Departments to often call up these beneficiaries to get their grievances, if any redressed promptly to their satisfaction besides keeping a complete track in this regard.
In order to streamline the system for getting financial assistance under social security schemes in hassle free manner, the Chief Minister asked the Social Security Department to ensure strict compliance of the amended notification for the new applicants. Pertinently to mention here as per the revised notification, the application forms could now be recommended by Sarpanch & one member of panchayat or one Nambardar & one member Panchayat or two members of panchayat or Chairperson/Member Block Samiti & one member of Panchayat or Chairperson/Member, Zila Parishad & one member of panchayat. In urban areas such recommendation could be made by any councilor in the concerned local bodies. The application forms so recommended would be received in the office of SDM. The SDM would immediately give provisional sanction and the applicant would start getting pension. The District Social Security Officer (DSSO) would verify such provisionally approved cases within a month.
Taking stock of Bhagat Puran Singh Health Insurance Scheme (BPSHIS) Mr. Badal asked the Principal Secretary Health to regularly monitor this scheme at her personal level so that the beneficiaries could avail the best medical and health care services. Meanwhile, the Principal Secretary Health also apprised the Chief Minister that nearly 15,000 beneficiaries have been treated in the various Government and private empanelled hospitals for which a sum of Rs. 10 crore has already been paid by the insurance company to these hospitals as medical claims. She also told Mr. Badal that seven private hospitals have been dis-empanelled under the scheme for providing deficient services to the beneficiaries. The Chief Minister categorically asked the Mandi Board besides Excise & Taxation and Labour departments to complete the entire exercise to register the eligible farmers, traders and construction labourers respectively as beneficiaries under BPSHIS positively by 31 May.
The Chief Minister also monitored the disbursement of scholarships for post-matric and pre-matric scholarship schemes for Scheduled Caste and OBC students under centrally sponsored schemes. He also constituted a committee comprising his Principal Secretary, Secretary Expenditure and Secretary Welfare of SCs & BCs to take effective steps for timely release of funds from Centre under different scholarship schemes.Mr. Badal also asked all the departments to compile a compact database including name, complete address with mobile/telephone numbers of all the beneficiaries under various schemes to seek their vital inputs for bringing further improvement in these schemes and quick redressal of their grievances, if any. He said the underlying objective of the scheme was to ensure that the benefits of these pro-poor schemes must percolate at the grass roots level in order to achieve inclusive development.
Prominent amongst others who attended these meetings included; Additional Chief Secretary (Development) Mr. N.S. Kalsi, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Mr. S.K. Sandhu, Principal Secretary Health Mrs. Vini Mahajan, Special Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Mr. Gaggandip Singh Brar, Secretary Food & Civil Supplies Mr. Kamal Chaudhary, Secretary SC/BC Welfare Mr. Kirpa Shankar Saroj, Secretary Social Security Mr. Anurag Aggarwal, Excise & Taxation Commissioner Mr. Rajat Aggarwal, Director Food & Civil Supplies Mr. Shivdular Singh, Secretary Mandi Board Mr. TPS Sidhu, MD PUNSUP Mr. PS Shergill, OSD to Chief Minister Mr. Sudheer Babu Marisetty, Punjab Construction Worker’s Welfare Board Deputy Secretary Mr. SS Bandi and Director Information & Public Relations Mrs. Senu Duggal.