TRIPURA

‘BPL Enlisted’ Families 

To Get Rice at BPL Price

Another Bold Step towards Food Security

Rahul Sinha

EVEN as the much-touted food security legislation of the UPA II government is still on the back burner, the Left Front government of Tripura is doing its utmost to provide food security to the people of Tripura. After its recent decision to give 35 kg of rice to all the BPL cardholder families at Rs 2 per kg, it has now announced its decision to provide the ‘BPL enlisted’ families 20 kg of rice at BPL price through the public distribution system.

The state chief minister Manik Sarkar announced the decision of the state cabinet at a press conference on August 17 at the Civil Secretariat, Agartala. With this decision of the Left Front government, around 86,000 families of the state will have access to rice at cheaper price. These ‘BPL enlisted’ families were till now getting rice from the Fair Price shops at APL rate of Rs 10.35 per kg. Now they will get the same amount of rice at Rs 6.15 per kg.

The Left Front government had in 1997-98 conducted a survey to ascertain the number of BPL families in the state. The survey revealed that the number of BPL families in the state is 4,06,809  or 67 per cent of the state’s population. But the central government allotted BPL cards to only 2,95,000 families or only 40.76 per cent of the population. This left around 86,000 or 26 per cent of the poor families without the facility of BPL cards despite matching the criteria of BPL. Manik Sarkar said the Left Front government had marked them as ‘BPL enlisted’ families and included them in all its schemes, including in the social pension schemes. However, the facilities extended by the centre towards the BPL families is meant only for the BPL cardholder families and not these ‘BPL enlisted’ families.

The chief minister said recently the central government had allotted  20,360 MTs of BPL rice to the state for the period of September, 2012 to March, 2013. This additional quantity of BPL rice shall be given to these 86,000 families through the public distribution system at the BPL price of Rs 6.15 per kg. He requested the central government to continue this supply of additional BPL rice even after March, 2013. “Foodgrains rotting in government godowns, rats are munching on them. The Supreme Court has also directed to distribute this wasting foodgrains to the poor. It is due to this pressure, that the centre has been forced to allot additional rice to the state”, he said. The chief minister announced that distribution of rice for these families will start from September itself and the DMs have been directed to concretise the number of enlisted BPL families at the earliest.

INCENTIVE FOR

ASHA WORKERS

At the same meeting of the state cabinet, decision was taken to give incentives for the Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers working under National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). From now on, the ASHA workers shall get an incentive of 33.33 per cent on their honourarium from state government exchequer. After 5 years of service on the basis of educational qualification at least 10 per cent of the ASHA workers shall be given preference in recruiting as Multi Purpose Workers (MPWs). They will get this scope in addition to those ASHA workers who will be selected normally through interview for the post of MPWs.

Announcing the decision Manik Sarkar said that there are 7367 ASHA workers in the state, around 45 per cent of them are from the tribal communities. They are doing a commendable job to ensure good health for mother and child. They are helping actively in immunisation programmes and deliveries. But they are treated as voluntary workers and don’t have a regular monthly salary. The ASHA workers have been demanding for a long time a hike in their honorariums. They have been agitating for these demands at an all India as well as state level. The Left Front government has urged the centre to increase their honorarium. But their response is still awaited.

Meanwhile, a delegation of the organisation of ASHA workers met the chief minister to press their demands. Consequently, the Left Front government has  taken this decision to honour and recognise their valued service.  If an ASHA worker earns Rs 1000 for her work as per the norms of NRHM, the state shall give her an incentive of 33.33 per cent over this Rs 1000. Till now they did not have any specific place to sit. From now they will have a seat at the Community Health Centres, Primary Health Centres and Anganwadi Centres, said the CM.