Punjab CM wants change in criteria for distribution of chana among migrants

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday urged the Centre to change the criteria for allocation of 'chana whole' from per household to per person to ensure equitable distribution of food grains among the migrants, amid the lockdown to prevent spread of coronavirus.

The chief minister has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking to direct the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution to this effect, as the existing guidelines of the ministry would create problems for migrants as well as the state government, a statement said here.

Singh thanked the prime minister for acceding his request, as per a letter dated March 30, to extend the benefit of food grains and pulses under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) to migrants, whose plight he had highlighted.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharman has since made an announcement to this effect, benefiting 8 crore migrant workers across the country, he said.

However, as per the guidelines issued on May 15 by the Union Food Ministry while wheat is to be distributed at 5 kg per person per month for a period of two months, 'chana whole' is to be distributed at 1 kg per household per month for the said period.

This means that while the benefit of wheat would be extended to migrants equivalent to 10 per cent of existing beneficiaries in Punjab, that is 14.1 lakh migrants, that of chana whole would benefit only 3.6 lakh migrant households, Singh said.

Since a vast majority of migrant workers travel without their families, extending the concept of household in the state where they are temporarily residing does not make much sense, he added.

Further, the two sets of instructions related to distribution of wheat and chana have created a situation whereby the state shall be required to distribute 14.1 lakh packets of wheat along with only 3.6 lakh packets of chana, he said.

"Understandably, a large number of migrant workers who are residing without families in Punjab would get the allocation of wheat but they would not get any chana."

"And conversely some individual migrants would get chana intended to be distributed to a household of four persons, which would lead to discontentment amongst a major chunk of migrants," he said.