SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir’s Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, announced on Saturday that an additional 10 kg of ration will be provided at subsidised rates to priority households in the UT under the Prime Minister’s Food Supplementation Scheme. He also highlighted the necessity of smart meters, as the power debt bills for J&K have reached Rs 31,000 crore in the past four years.
Addressing a press conference at Raj Bhavan, LG Sinha stated that priority households in J&K already receive 5 kg of free ration per member per family. He stated, “From now onwards, each family covered under priority households will receive an additional 10 kg of ration. In J&K, 14.32 lakh ration card holders and 57,24000 families will be covered under the Prime Minister’s FSS for priority households in the UT.” He further emphasised that the welfare of the poor is the top priority of the J&K administration.
The LG mentioned that the additional 10 kg of ration will be provided at a rate of Rs 25 per kg, costing the UT government Rs 1.80 crore annually. He explained that those falling under the PM’s FSS for priority households will only need to pay Rs 25 per kg, compared to the standard rate of Rs 34 per kg for rice, resulting in a subsidy of Rs 9. As for families categorised as priority households, they were already receiving 4 kg of free ration per person. Therefore, if there are four family members, they will receive 16 kg of free ration plus 10 kg of additional rice at the subsidised rates, according to the LG.
Responding to a query about the delay in SSB recruitment, he acknowledged complaints of irregularities in early exams, leading to a CBI probe. He informed that the matter is currently before the High Court, and once a decision is reached, exams will be held. For fresh posts, exam dates will be announced within 15 days, the LG assured.
Regarding the road stretch collapse at Panthal, the LG stated that efforts are being made to prepare an alternate road within three days to facilitate Amarnath pilgrims. He mentioned that the permanent solution lies in the completion of the tunnel.
When asked if the government would provide any relaxation in power tariffs for the poor, the LG asserted that people would need to pay power bills according to their usage. He highlighted that power tariff bills had accumulated to Rs 31,000 crore in the past four years. The LG expressed hope that the weather improves by tomorrow, as the Amarnath Yatra has been suspended due to rainfall, and pilgrims can resume their journey to the cave shrine. (KNO)
