The Hindu : Rice scheme cover not adequate in delta

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Mar 27, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Tamil Nadu

Rice scheme cover not adequate in delta

By G. Srinivasan

Thanjavur March 26. Even as distribution of 30 kg of free rice to farmers, in place of noon meal, is getting under way in Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam districts, the demand for inclusion of names and complaints of omission of "true beneficiaries" continue to pour in from most of the villages.

Many panchayat presidents say hundreds of applications are pending with them. Even those who took noon meal have not been fully brought under the rice scheme.

But in some villages, the pachayat presidents have devised a method of sharing the available rice among all the needy — for instance, at 15 kg a family at Sellur in the Thanjavur panchayat union as only half the number of families in the village have been included in the scheme. At Rajendram panchayat, near here, the rice received by a family is divided for three families.

In some villages, those who took noon meal, have been left out of the rice scheme. At Veppathur, near Kumbakonam, 30 girls who took noon meal, complained that they were not included in the new scheme.

At Melalavandaseri in Tiruvarur district, where 370 families took noon meal on January 31 last, rice is now being given only to 128 families. After repeated representations by the panchayat president, officials have agreed to provide 30 kg free rice to another 157 families.

At Thiruvalampozhil in Tiruvaiyaru taluk, out of the demand for 300 families, only 70 have been provided the benefit. At Kachamangalam only 75 families, out of the demand for 375 families, get free rice. At Vellampermabur only 60 out of 150 families have been covered.

While farmers and farm labourers had reservations about the meal scheme because it was "below their dignity" to collect food on plates, there were many takers for the free rice scheme. Thus, when the Government decided to restrict the rice scheme to those who took noon meal, panchayat presidents and village administrative officers found it difficult to manage the situation.

Applications swelled and the Government had to arrive at a ceiling and hence we were told that 20 per cent of the total applications could be screened off, said a panchayat president in Tiruvarur district.

Even under the noon meal scheme, the Government restricted the number of tokens to 50 a village on the inaugural day, January 15, 2003. But as many demanded tokens, applications were received on a weekly basis, till January 31, when the scheme was scrapped.

However district authorities maintain that all the needy are covered under the free rice scheme. According to official sources in Thanjavur district, the number of persons who took noon meal on February 4 (last day it was provided) was 76,144. Now free rice is given to 95,998 families. In Tiruvarur district 90,530 families are given free rice and in Nagapattinam district, the number is 1,37,392, according to official sources. Though the rice scheme is meant for small and marginal farmers, in some villages, salaried people and old-age pensioners and other beneficiaries of government schemes have also been included, allege farmers.

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