Context :
Maha
Vikas Aghadi govt’s Shiv Bhojan Thali scheme under review /
Indian Express / 26
Sept 2022
Extract
:
The state government has
placed the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government’s flagship Shiv Bhojan Thali scheme under review
and stayed its decision to increase the number of plates until the Cabinet
takes a final call on the scheme’s future.
State’s Food
and Civil Supplies Minister Ravindra Chavan [ stmin.itnfcs@maharashtra.gov.in
],
told The Indian Express on Sunday that a
comprehensive review of the implementation of the scheme is necessary.
“It is a good scheme. But
it needs to be checked whether intended beneficiaries are actually
gaining from it.
A digital
watch [ through a mobile application ], on every plate that is being consumed,
will be kept and at the same time the scheme will be reviewed,” he said.
“The decision on its future implementation
will be taken by the cabinet,” he said.
The Shiv
Bhojan Thali scheme provided a thali meal :
# in urban areas for Rs 50 and
# rural areas for Rs 35.
The eateries
sell the thali to people at Rs 10
and the government pays the remaining charges.
According to
data as on September 24, Maharashtra has a total of 1,699 eateries of which
1,549 serve Shiv Bhojan thalis.
The number
of approved thalis in the state is 1,88,463 but the number of actual plates
distributed is 1,45,591.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Maharashtra government had slashed the
price of thali to Rs 5 and then from April 2021, it was given for
free and even parcel service was allowed.
As the
pandemic was brought under control and lockdown was lifted in phase-wise
manner, the price was again made Rs 10.
Dear Shri Ravindra
Chavanji,
While reviewing, please keep
in mind following points :
# In past 2 years, millions have lost their
jobs during COVID – with little of getting re-employed
# Every year, to our work-force, we are adding
12 million youth – with no jobs for most
# As a Society, even if we are unable to give
them jobs or self-employment, we have a moral obligation to
ensure that no citizen goes to bed hungry –
whatever the cost
# No poor hungry person , standing in a queue
for food, must be humiliated by demanding “ identity “
In
this context, I urge you to go through my following earlier e-mails :
Extract :
Dear Secretaries :
While drafting your Community Kitchen
Scheme ,
irrespective of its proposed
structure, I urge you to incorporate the following
provisions :
Ø Hungry person who queues up to collect
COUPONS or FOOD PACKET, will NOT be
asked ANY QUESTION, whatsoever . Please do
not HUMILIATE a poor hungry
human !
Ø He / she will not be asked :
# Domicile
– Nationality – Name – Address – any Identity Card /
Document – Community – Religion –Caste
–Age – whether employed /
jobless etc
Ø Although you may recommend
installation of a FACIAL RECOGNITION system at
each kitchen, it will be for the sole purpose of keeping count ( of
the numbers
served each lunch / dinner ) and to avoid DUPLICATE issues to same
person.
Ø No beneficiary will be allowed to
take the FOOD PACKET, outside the kitchen. It
must be consumed inside the
kitchen’s Dining Area only
Ø However,
your scheme should provide for taking home the Food Packets, in cases
of
OLD-SICK-INVALID-BED RIDDEN, poor humans who just cannot walk up to the
nearest kitchen.
In such cases, relative / family member / friend or an NGO volunteer may be
allowed to take out the food packet, after entering full “ SICK
BENEFICIARY DATA “
in a centrally computerized system
Extract :
The
Supreme Court on Thursday while hearing a matter relating to migrant
labourers
remarked that no citizen should die
of hunger and said that it
was
most concerning that there
were deaths due to hunger.
When the court was apprised that a
large number of migrant workers are without
ration cards, the bench
of justices MR Shah and BV Nagarathna said, “no
citizen
should die of hunger and it is most concerning that there were deaths
due to
hunger.”
The court further observed
that in villages and in marginalised
communities people tie a tight cloth around their stomachs to suppress
their
hunger pangs.
I am surprized (
and shocked ) that the Supreme Court failed to ask the
Government :
“ Even if you
manage to issue ration cards to those 10 Crore poor people, do they
have money
to buy that subsidized ration ?
We think, millions
among those 10 crore, just don’t have
money to buy ration
A few who may have
the money to buy ration, do not have
money to buy LPG
cylinder or even
chopped wood
HOW DO YOU PLAN TO ENSURE THAT THEY DO NOT DIE DUE
TO HUNGER ?
Some 6 months ago, we had asked you to
come up within 3 weeks, a :
National
Policy on Community Kitchens
Your Food Ministry
even formed a committee of Food Secretaries from 8 States to
frame such a
policy
Since
then, we have heard nothing from you in this matter
With regards,
Hemen Parekh
hcp@RecruitGuru.com / 27
Sept 2022
============================================
Added on 28 Sept 2022 :
Maharashtra: Shiv Bhojan thali to stay / TOI
Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday clarified that the Shiv Bhojan thali or subsidized food plate scheme introduced by the former MVA government WOULD NOT BE SCRAPPED but complaints against the Scheme would be probed
" We have not made any decision to close down the Shiv Bhojan Thali but the complaints against it will be probed ", said Fadnavis
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Added on 12 Nov 2023 :
Under the Shramik Annapurna Yojana, hot and nutritious meals are served to construction workers at a very low price of Rs 5. It is one of the 20 welfare schemes run through the money collected under the Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Cess in the state.
