NEW DELHI: The Centre has asked the Maharashtra government to utilise the unused or leftover 6,445 tonnes of chana and chana dal — allocated to the state last year under PM Garib Kalyan Ann Yojna and Atma Nirbhar Bharat initiatives — to distribute to poor households.
This direction came amid allegations of how due to apathy on the part of the state government huge quantities of pulses lying in stores for months have been damaged.
Maharashtra MLA Mihir Kotecha had put out a video on Wednesday alleging massive wastage of chana dal in the state due to poor planning of the state government. The video posted by the BJP legislator claimed that the pulses, which have now got spoiled, have been lying there since August and September. He alleged that Rs 180 crore worth of pulses have now gone to waste in the state.
Meanwhile, consumer affairs ministry officials said the Maharashtra government delayed in writing to the Centre about the leftover pulses with the state which were allocated last year. An official document shows that the Centre held several video conferences with all states last year to find a solution to the problem of unutilised pulses.
The document shows that the states were informed on December 18 that they needed to give details of the distribution of pulses done by them and the quantity left with them. The document claims that Maharashtra took four months to write to the Centre. “While the Central government gave its approval to the other states to utilise the leftover pulses, Maharashtra was left behind, and not for the fault of the central government,” the note said.
According to the note, Maharashtra wrote a letter to the Centre on April 6 that over 6,400 tonnes of chana and chana dal was lying with it still unutilised. On Thursday, the Centre allowed the state to distribute these to the families covered under the National Food Security Scheme.
This direction came amid allegations of how due to apathy on the part of the state government huge quantities of pulses lying in stores for months have been damaged.
Maharashtra MLA Mihir Kotecha had put out a video on Wednesday alleging massive wastage of chana dal in the state due to poor planning of the state government. The video posted by the BJP legislator claimed that the pulses, which have now got spoiled, have been lying there since August and September. He alleged that Rs 180 crore worth of pulses have now gone to waste in the state.
Meanwhile, consumer affairs ministry officials said the Maharashtra government delayed in writing to the Centre about the leftover pulses with the state which were allocated last year. An official document shows that the Centre held several video conferences with all states last year to find a solution to the problem of unutilised pulses.
The document shows that the states were informed on December 18 that they needed to give details of the distribution of pulses done by them and the quantity left with them. The document claims that Maharashtra took four months to write to the Centre. “While the Central government gave its approval to the other states to utilise the leftover pulses, Maharashtra was left behind, and not for the fault of the central government,” the note said.
According to the note, Maharashtra wrote a letter to the Centre on April 6 that over 6,400 tonnes of chana and chana dal was lying with it still unutilised. On Thursday, the Centre allowed the state to distribute these to the families covered under the National Food Security Scheme.
