Restore sugar subsidy for poor, AAP urges Centre

The central government has stopped giving subsidised sugar to the people below the poverty line (BPL) and also reduced the quota for those under the "Antyodaya" category, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Wednesday.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader told the media that the Centre had cut the quantity supplied from six to one kg for "Antyodaya" families.

"Antyodaya Anna Yojana" is a central government scheme under which food is provided to families from the weakest section of society at highly subsidised rates.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had taken the decision to end subsidised sugar to poor families across the country, Sisodia said.

He said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had written to the Prime Minister, urging him to resume the subsidy on sugar given to poor families.

The Deputy Chief Minister said the Delhi government was also trying to get ownership rights for the land given to thousands of landless families in Delhi during 1970-1980.

These families, including Dalits, people from other backward classes and widows, were given small parcels of grama sabha land under a central government programme in Mehrauli, Najafgarh, Alipur and Narela areas of the national capital.

Sisodia said that although other state governments gave ownership rights to beneficiaries in their states, the Delhi government never did so.

In 2012, the Sheila Dikshit government tried to get approval from the Lieutenant Governor (LG) for giving ownership rights, but the then LG didn't approve and the matter had been pending before the central government ever since, Sisodia said.

"You don't even need to give them new land, you just have to give them ownership rights to the land on which they're already residing," Sisodia said and added that these families were facing many problems while building houses and getting loans, among other things.

Sisodia said that the Chief Minister had written to the LG on this matter as well.

--IANS

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