Maharashtra: Bhujbal gets food and civil supplies dept, seeks focus on paddy storage during monsoon

Mumbai, May 23 Four days after his induction into the Maharashtra cabinet, the veteran NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal has been allocated the food and civil supplies department.

Incidentally, Bhujbal has held this department during the Maha Vikas Aghadi government headed by the former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and also during the MahaYuti government under the chief ministership of Eknath Shinde.

The state government issued the gazette notification on the allocation of the food and civil supplies department to Bhujbal.

Bhujbal has confirmed the allocation of the food and civil supplies department, saying that he would see that the Shiv Bhojan scheme, wherein a meal is served at Rs 10, will continue in future too. He further added that he will make efforts to get more funds for the scheme.

After taking charge as Minister of Food and Civil Supplies, Chhagan Bhujbal, on Friday, instructed the administration to take necessary measures for the proper storage of paddy, keeping in view the monsoon conditions and procure paddy on time.

“Action should be taken to ensure that there is no loss of paddy,” he added.

He directed that action should be taken to ensure that the people of the state get maximum benefit from the food grain available from the Central Government.

Minister Bhujbal held a meeting with the department officials and asked the administration to make available ration cards, especially to disabled persons and nomadic tribes who are not getting food grains for want of ration cards.

He also instructed the administration to take action regarding the matters included in the government's 100 and 150-day programmes, like e-governance and administrative reforms in services and also the policies regarding the Viksit Bharat 2047 Mission.

Minister Bhujbal reviewed the inclusion of 25 lakh new beneficiaries, smart ration cards, electronic weighing scales in fair price shops, weight scale verification and stamping services. On this occasion, the department's Principal Secretary Vinita Singal, Brihanmumbai Civil Supplies Controller Sudhakar Telang, Controller of Legal Measurement Ramchandra Dhanawade, Joint Secretary Tatoba Kolekar, Deputy Secretary Rajshree Sarang, Deputy Secretary Santosh Gaikwad and other officials were present.

“Currently, a target of 7 crore 16 thousand has been given in the state for the beneficiaries of the Priority Family and Antyodaya Yojana in the state. Considering the increased demand of the beneficiaries in the state, a request should be made to the central government for a revised target of 8 crore 20 lakh, and a follow-up should be made, said Minister Bhujbal.

He further added that for the beneficiaries of the Priority Family Scheme, an annual income limit of Rs 44,000 has been fixed in rural areas and Rs 59,000 in urban areas to benefit them.

In order to increase the income limit, a committee has been appointed under the chairmanship of the Controller of Ration Distribution and as per the report of the committee, the income limit will be increased so that the majority of the people can take advantage of the food grains. The EKYC programme is being implemented as per the policy of the Central Government, and accordingly, new beneficiaries can be selected in place of ineligible beneficiaries and foodgrain benefits can be provided to them, he said.

For the Mumbai and Thane public distribution areas, the public distribution offices will be reorganised on a constituency-wise basis and they will be established in all Assembly segments, said Minister Bhujbal, adding that 51 public distribution offices will be set up in Mumbai and Thane districts.

He announced that the Office of the Supply Commissioner will be created with a view to making the administrative structure of the Supply Department dynamic and streamlined. According to him, new government food grain godowns will be constructed at the taluka and district levels with a view to increasing the storage capacity.

Meanwhile, Bhujbal, in reaction after his swearing in, said, “I thank Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, both the Deputy Chief Ministers, as well as Sunil Tatkare, Praful Patel. I also thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Along with this, I also thank all the people, activists and office-bearers of my constituency of Yeola-Lasalgaon, all the office-bearers and activists of Samata Parishad. I also thank all those who have shown love to me till now.”

Bhujbal was sulking after he did not get the ministerial berth when CM Fadnavis had expanded his cabinet on December 15 last year, and he had openly expressed his displeasure to the party leadership, citing that he had been dropped despite vigorously taking up the OBC cause of the party during the Assembly elections held last year.

He had subsequently abstained from several party engagements, but after the intervention of the party president, Ajit Pawar and working president Praful Patel, he had started taking part in organisational functions.

He was also furious after his nomination was not considered twice for the Rajya Sabha elections in the past.

NCP president Ajit Pawar, along with working president Praful Patel and state unit chief Sunil Tatkare, took a unanimous decision paving the way for Bhujbal’s induction into the cabinet. NCP needed a formidable and strong OBC face in the cabinet especially after another OBC leader Dhananjay Munde had to resign during the budget session of the state legislature held in March in connection with the brutal killing of the Beed Sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh. Munde was holding the food and civil supplies department, and after his exit, it was looked after by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar.

Further, Bhujbal’s induction is politically important for NCP, especially when the Supreme Court asked the state government to complete the process of local and civic body elections in four months, while going by the OBC reservations prior to the recommendations made by the Banthia committee. Bhujbal has been at the forefront of the protection of OBC reservation in a major tussle against pro-Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange. Moreover, Bhujbal has been a strong advocate of caste based census, which the Centre has recently cleared.

Meanwhile, the BJP leader from Marathwada and the minister of OBC, dairy development and renewable energy, Atul Save, has been given one more department of Divyang Welfare.

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