Govt accuses Centre for indulging in step-motherly attitude and sending less quantity of pulses

Kolkata: State Food and Supplies minister Jyotipriya Mallick hit out at the central government for sending less quantity of pulses that is required for the people of the state to be distributed through ration shops.

He alleged that the Centre is indulging in step- motherly attitude in the supply of pulses thereby depriving the people of the state who have benefitted from the receipt of the pulses through public distribution system (PDS) at a time when the entire nation is facing a crisis situation in its fight against COVID-19 pandemic.

The Centre soon after the lockdown was imposed across the country had announced that they will be making arrangements for distribution of pulses through all ration shops from the month of April.

The ration card holders under National Food Security Act (NFSA) are supposed to get 1 kg of pulses per family.

"Our requirement is of 14,450 metric tonne of pulses (masoor dal) per month. But National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) has sent only 4,227 metric tonne till now. So we have not been able to start distribution of pulses through ration in our state," said

Mallick.

Biswambhar Basu, general secretary of All India Fair Price Shop Dealers' Association said that according to standard norms the state needs to have a stock of at least one month to kick off the distribution process. "Till date 1,800 metric tonne of pulses have been stocked in the godowns which is only 11 to 12 per cent of the state's

monthly requirement. If we start distribution at this

juncture and people do not get their share it we will be blamed of indulging in unfair practices when it comes to distribution of pulses. We are not

ready to bear the brunt of it. So, we have made it clear that pulses will be distributed in PDS only when NAFED ensures a stock of good quality pulses of 14,500 metric tonne," Biswambhar Basu, general secretary of All India Fair Price Shop Dealers' Association

said.

Basu said that two types of pulses – moong and masoor go with food habit of Bengal.

"We have heard that the Centre is planning to send Tarka Dal to make up the deficit of masoor variety.

Tarka Dal is seldom consumed by the people of our state, so we had made it clear that this variety should not be replacement for masoor dal," he added.

The Association alleged that a number of states has already started giving pulses through ration but the ball has not rolled in Bengal and it has not started because of dearth in supply.