Smart Card provided formally to 10 beneficiaries to kick start Scheme
Patiala,Sep12.Punjab Cabinet Minister for Forest, Empowerment and Minorities , Sadhu Singh Dharamsot on Saturday started distribution of smart ration cards to around 2.20 lakh beneficiaries of Patiala district here under ‘Smart Ration Card Scheme’ following its formal launch by Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh through video conferencing across the state from Chandigarh. On this occasion Dharamsot formally handed over smart ration cards to 10 beneficiaries and started distribution of ration (Wheat) with e-pos swipe machine. He also launched disbursal of 60,000 free masks to the needy in the district under “Mission Fateh” at the same time.Whereas giving her message through video conferencing, Lok Sabha member from Patiala , Preneet Kaur congratulated the beneficiaries for having smart ration cards and thanked the Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh. She also hoped that with Smart Ration Cards every beneficiary would get his due in more transparent manner.Besides she also appealed to the people to take necessary precautions to prevent COVID-19 pandemic and to get tested and treated immediately if any symptom appears so that precious lives could be saved.  The Lok Sabha member said that everyone should be a responsible citizen and support the efforts of the government to defeat COVID.On the other hand while addressing a small gathering at the District Administrative Complex here, Cabinet Minister , Sadhu Singh Dharamsot said that the Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh had launched the Smart Ration Card Scheme to provide rations to the each and every poor and needy beneficiaries in a transparent manner. This will not only give the beneficiary the right to choose the ration from any ration depot but will also make the process of dissemination of government schemes to the people more efficient and convenient.He further said that Punjab Government first started the process of distributing ration with e-pos machine and now smart ration cards have been introduced. He said that this has not only curbed the frauds and manipulations in the distribution of rations, but also eliminated the grievances of the beneficiaries and protected their rights. He said that Captain Amarinder Singh first became the custodian of water then the custodian of farmers and now the custodian of the rights of the needy of the poor.Dharamsot said that out of 1. 41 Crore beneficiaries across Punjab, around 2.20 lakh smart cards would benefit 8. 58 lakh beneficiaries in Patiala district. He said that the Chief Minister had made unprecedented arrangements even during the COVID–19 Pandemic by taking care of Punjab and Punjabis.
The Cabinet Minister said that by these smart cards under the National Food Security Act-2013 distribution of 6 months wheat from April 2020 to September 2020 including Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana from July 2020 to November 2020 (a total of 5 months wheat at 5 kg per person) per month would be given to the beneficiaries. Apart from this, distribution of pulses per kg per card per month absolutely free will also be started soon.
Meanwhile, the beneficiaries of Smart Ration Card, Usha Devi, Amarinder Singh, Kamaljit Kaur, Kamla, Sarita Gupta, Balwinder Singh, Baljinder Singh Khaira, Naib Singh, Lachhmi and Mathra Prasad specially thanked the Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh for giving more rights to beneficiary.
They said that the issuance of smart cards was a major initiative of the Punjab government to ensure timely distribution of ration to the poor and they thank the Punjab government for providing due rights to the poor.
During the launching ceremony, PRTC Chairman K.K. Sharma, Chairperson Punjab Social Welfare Board , Gursharan Kaur Randhawa, Chairman Punjab Gau Sewa Commission , Sachin Sharma, Mayor Municipal Corporation , Sanjeev Sharma Bittu, Chairman District Planning Committee , Santokh Singh, Chairman Improvement Trust , Sant Banga, Senior Vice Chairman Punjab Large Scale Industry Board , K.K. Sehgal, Director, Pungrain , Rajneesh Shorri, President District Congres (Urban) , K.K. Malhotra, District (Rural) Congress President , Gurdeep Singh Untsar, Women Congress President , Kiran Dhillon, Youth Congress President , Anuj Khosla and Hardev Singh Bali.
Amongst Prominant Persons present there included Deputy Commissioner , Kumar Amit, SSP, Vikram Jeet Duggal, Patiala Municipal Corporation (MC) Commissioner ,. Poonamdeep Kaur, ADC , Pooja Sayal Grewal, Assistant Commissioner (G) Dr. Ismat Vijay Singh, DFSC , Harsharanjit Singh Brar.
