PHAGWARA: Punjab is reeling under unprecedented floods, with over 1, 400 villages affected, vast crop losses reported, and nearly 50 lives lost. Amid this humanitarian crisis, the state government has come under fire for a controversial decision to exclude 1.2 million poor families from the Free Ration Scheme, prompting sharp criticism from political opponents.
This was alleged by Senior BJP leader and former IAS officer S.R. Ladhar while talking to newsmen here today. He condemned the move, calling it "inhumane" and "cruel, " particularly at a time when thousands of families are displaced, homeless, and struggling to meet basic food needs. According to Ladhar, the exclusion reflects the ruling Aam Aadmi Party’s use of welfare schemes as a tool for political gain rather than public service.
Center issued removal orders
Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann has claimed that center government has sent a list of 11 lakh people to remove names from free ration list. He sought six months to check beneficiaries.
The Free Ration Scheme, implemented under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, involves full funding of grains and transportation by the central government. The state government is responsible for managing beneficiary lists, distributing rations, and operating depots. While the central government sets eligibility criteria, additions and removals are under the state’s purview.
Ladhar said, This is not the first time such a move has sparked controversy. In 2022, the Punjab government had removed 1.073 million beneficiaries, only to reinstate them ahead of the 2024 general elections. Critics argue that the latest decision mirrors the same pattern of political maneuvering, disproportionately affecting marginalized communities, including Scheduled Castes, backward classes, daily wage workers, and migrant laborers.
The state government maintains that the action targets ineligible families, including those with cars, air conditioners, or taxable incomes, and aims to prevent fraudulent ration cards. However, ground reports suggest that many genuinely needy families have been excluded, exacerbating food insecurity during the flood emergency.
BJP leaders are demanding the immediate reinstatement of all 1.2 million families and a transparent, central-monitored review to ensure no vulnerable household is deprived. They have also called for special ration packages for all flood-affected families to prevent further hardship.
"At a time when Punjab is grappling with floods, the government has snatched food from the mouths of the hungry. The poor, Dalits, and farmers will not forgive this betrayal, " Ladhar said.