PMGKAY dues: State writes to Centre for releasing Rs 12,714 crore

Kolkata: The state Food and Supplies department wrote to the Centre for releasing pending dues to the tune of Rs 12,714 crore under PMGKAY (Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana) for smooth functioning of the ration system in the state.

The Centre is supposed to bear the expenditure of supplying food grains to 6 lakh beneficiaries of PMGKAY in the state. The state government primarily bears the expenditure of supply of rice in the ration.

The state procures paddy directly from the farmers and converts the same into rice. As per rules, as soon as the rice reaches the state godowns from the rice mills, the Centre is supposed to pay the cost in phases to the state. However, the Centre has not released funds in this regard for the financial year 2023-24. Hence, a huge amount is due. Senior special secretary of the Food and Supplies department recently wrote to Jai Patil, joint director of Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, department of Food and Public Distribution, requesting him to release the state’s pending dues. The letter reiterated that the funds are essential for smooth functioning of the ration

system in the state.

The state also furnished sample copies of a number of slips generated from e-pos machines since November 2 mentioning the cost borne by the Central government for supplying ration to the respective beneficiaries. The slips bear the name of PMGKAY and its logo. The Centre has been “pressurising” the state for issuing such slips to the beneficiaries. Since the state agreed to this proposal, it is hopeful of receiving its pending dues .

“The Centre has been pressing for putting up posters of PMGKAY along with photographs of the Prime Minister in the ration shops in the state but the state has not agreed to it,” a Nabanna official said expressing his doubts of whether the Centre will release the

pending dues.