Patna. Bihar government has taken a big step towards providing food security to poor and needy families. Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary distributed ration cards to 23 lakh 75 thousand new beneficiaries in a program organized in Patna on Thursday. Along with this, license letters were also granted for 1,448 new Public Distribution System (PDS) shops in the state.
The Chief Minister said that the state government has set a target of linking one crore new people with ration cards. So far, about 24 lakh people have been connected under this target. The Chief Minister clarified that the eligible families who are still deprived of ration cards can apply. The government will ensure that all eligible applicants are provided with a new ration card within 30 days of applying. The program was inaugurated by the Chief Minister by lighting the lamp. During this, he symbolically provided new ration cards to some beneficiaries.
In his address, the Chief Minister said that it is the resolve of the state government that no poor person in Bihar should remain hungry and no eligible family should be deprived of the benefits of government schemes. Bringing prosperity in the lives of the poor and providing them opportunities to live a dignified life is the top priority of the government. He expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the arrangement of providing free food grains to poor families.
The Chief Minister said that at present there are a total of 2.09 crore ration cards in Bihar, from which about 8.46 crore people are benefiting. Along with food security of the poor, they are also being linked to schemes like Ayushman Bharat for health security. 125 units of free electricity is also being provided to all the families of the state. Announcing a new facility, the Chief Minister said that from next year, a system of providing ration to the elderly holding ration cards above 75 years of age at their homes will be started. With this, the elderly will not have to face the trouble of going to the shops of the public distribution system.
Discussing rural development, he said that under 'Seva Sankalp and Kayakalp Abhiyan', work is being done on schemes worth Rs 22 thousand crore to improve the basic facilities in villages. Under this, other essential facilities including health centre, school, Anganwadi centre, community hall and Chhath Ghat will be developed. Work will also be done to identify needy people at the Panchayat level and connect them with government schemes.
On the issue of employment, the Chief Minister said that the government is working on the target of providing government jobs and employment to one crore people in the next five years. Industrial activities are being promoted in the state, so that the youth can get employment opportunities in their own state. The government has resolved to develop such a system by the year 2030, so that the people of Bihar are not forced to go to other states for employment.
Referring to the interests of the farmers, he said that the Central Government has been requested to increase the target of paddy procurement to 50 lakh metric tonnes, so that the farmers can get fair price for their produce. Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, Food and Consumer Protection Minister Ashok Chaudhary, Department Secretary Abhay Kumar Singh and many senior officials and public representatives were present in the program. District Magistrates and beneficiaries of all the districts also joined the program through video conferencing.