Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi in what seems to be a dictatorial order has announced suspension of distribution of free rice to villagers in the Union Territory till the local administration submits a certificate proving they are open defecation-free, garbage and plastic free. Kiran Bedi on Saturday asserted that distribution of free rice, reported to benefit half of the UT’s population, will be conditional to the certification of the village being open defecation free and free of strewn garbage and plastics by submitting a joint certificate given by the MLA and the Commune Commissioner to the Civil Supplies Commissioner.
Puducherry LG in a stern directive has given the local authorities and villagers four-week ultimatum to keep their surroundings clean that ends on May 31. However, the new decision will be implemented from June. Bedi in a tweet stated that till then the rice distribution will be kept on hold and in safe storage. Bedi in a letter to the Chief Minister of Puducherry V Narayanasamy expressed her anguish towards the slow pace of rural sanitation and slammed the local authorities in the letter mentioning that she hasn’t seen any local representative determined to make rural Puducherry clean within a time frame.
Bedi said that the process cannot go on and the community leaders must take a step forward towards a cleaner and safer surroundings which will keep away diseases. The lieutenant governor during the 155th Morning Weekend Round Of Team Raj Nivas also observed that most of the diseases were generating from stagnant and dirty water. She though the letter urged NABARD to help NGO who has training in waste management.
Linked Free Rice distribution to respective constituency MLAs & Commune Commisioners Certifying villages open defecation free and of strewn garbage and plastic.
Free Rice reaches out to more than half d population primarily in rural areas
This is d learning of morning round today pic.twitter.com/CCIaVAGdDT— Kiran Bedi (@thekiranbedi) April 28, 2018
Last week, Narayanasamy had hit out at Bedi for creating obstacles in the implementation of welfare schemes. Narayanasamy accused that Bedi had wanted to go Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) instead of supplying rice to ration card-holders and deposit the cash equivalent in bank accounts of beneficiaries. However, the charges were dismissed by Bedi as she said that she worked for people and not for vested interests.