'New applications for ration cards to be disposed by Jul 31'

The Bihar government today said all new applications for ration cards will be disposed of by July 31 to clear decks for providing foodgrains to all eligible beneficiaries in Bihar under the Food Security Act.
Besides, 49 lakh additional claims for ration cards have been received and it will be disposed of by July 31, the Food and Consumer Protection Minister Shyam Rajak said while replying to a special debate in the Legislative Assembly.
He said his Department will continue to receive additional applications for claiming subsidized foodgrains so that nobody gets left out from benefits under the central act.

Earlier, the JD(U) MLA Manjit Singh had raised various questions related to implementation of the Food Security Act in Bihar after moving a call attention notice to which the Speaker Uday Narayan Chaudhary, after giving due consideration, allowed a special debate under Rule 94 of the assembly procedure in the post-lunch session.
Participating in the debate, the Leader of Opposition Nandkishore Yadav hit out at the state government for implementing the food security act in Bihar without doing proper homework and issuing new ration cards to the beneficiaries as a result of which over 1.35 eligible families were left out for entitlement of subsidized foodgrains.

As a result of the JD(U) government's callous attitude, the poor families have been left out from the ambit of coverage under the central act for food to all beneficiaries, Yadav said and asked the government to first issue new ration cards to all beneficiarie before claiming implementation of the Food Security Act.
Senior RJD leader Durga Prasad Singh too said that no eligible families should be left out from coverage under the Food Security Act.