Punjab PR minister lambasts Cong on welfare schemes
Chandigarh, May 2 (UNI) Punjab Information and Public Relations Minister Bikram Singh Majithia today blasted the Leader of the Opposition Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and the Congress, saying that they had no moral right to speak on social welfare issues like subsidised 'atta' (wheat flour) and 'daal' (pulses) scheme for the poor people.
''Mrs Bhattal should stop messing with social welfare issues on which her party had always betrayed the people'', he said in a statement here while refering to the Congress leaders statement asking the government to raise the income eligibility limit for the atta-daal scheme to Rs 50,000 per annum from Rs 30,000 per annum.
Mr Majithia pointed out that the former Deputy Chief Minister was part of the previous Congress government that had stopped free power to the farmers, 'shagun' scheme for Dalits, pension scheme for the poor and senior citizens, LTC and medical allowances for the employees and several other social welfare schemes introduced by the earlier SAD-BJP government.
The minister pointed out that the SAD-BJP government had actually raised the income eligibility limit for the 'atta daal' scheme from Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 and done away with the Below Poverty Line criteria in order to give this benefit to the maximum number of families.
Former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh gave thousands of crores worth of concessions to the liquor and land mafia in the state and not a penny to the poorer sections during his tenure, the minister added.
UNI