Atta-Dal scheme: Pb govt to increase number of beneficiaries

Punjab government will double the beneficiaries under its Atta-dal scheme, to provide subsidised wheat flour and pulses, from 15 lakh to 30 lakh families, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said here today.
All the Deputy Commissioners have been directed to complete all the requisite formalities in this regard swiftly to ensure the issuing of cards under the scheme to the new beneficiaries in next two months, he said at a political conference of SAD at Chhapar Mela.
At present 15 lakh families are getting benefit under the scheme in the state, he said.
Targeting the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre, Badal told the gathering that it had "surpassed" all the limits of corruption and completely "betrayed" the people.

UPA government had completely lost the confidence of the people and its days were numbered due to indulgence in sheer exploitation of the common man, the chief minister said.
"Issues like unemployment, illiteracy, poverty and above all inflation had enormously affected the life of a common man only because of wrong policies and programmes of the UPA government," he said.

Accusing the Centre of meting out step motherly treatment to Punjab, Badal said that the state leadership of Congress has completely ignored people.
"The state Congress leaders have never raised their voice against this unfair treatment and now they are criticising SAD-BJP unnecessarily," he said.

Badal pointed out that recently the Union government had extended the industrial benefits to the neighbouring states while ignoring Punjab.
Meanwhile, SAD President and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said SAD-BJP government was sensitised to the problems of people at the grass root levels.
SAD-BJP alliance had drawn a roadmap to ensure overall development and prosperity in the state, he said.
"Soon Punjab would emerge as a power surplus state in the country, added Sukhbir.
He said that the government had launched a crusade against the drug menace in the state and arrested 1,200 persons including some police personnel in one month involved in drug trafficking.

The Deputy Chief Minister also issued a strict warning to the police and other officers that any one found helping any drug peddler would be directly terminated.