West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday launched an ambitious “Duare Ration” scheme for providing food grains under the public distribution system at the doorstep for the entire population of the State.

“This Duare Ration scheme will help 10 crore people of the State. I will request all the ration dealers to make it a success.” Ms. Banerjee said while launching the scheme in Kolkata.

Providing food grains at doorsteps “Duare Ration” was one of the election promises of the Trinamool Congress riding high on which the party came to power for the third consecutive time in May 2021. “If there are five members in a family then one will have to carry 25 kg of food grains. We are not inhuman that we will ask people to carry 25 kgs on their back. So, the solution is to have vehicles in one particular lane at a distance of 500 meters,” Ms. Banerjee said.

The Chief Minister said that vehicles will carry ration in a particular street or lane and employees of ration dealers will make the food grains available to the people near their residence.

Ms. Banerjee said that her Government would provide around 21,000 ration dealers with financial assistance of ₹1 lakh each to purchase vehicles for delivering ration to people in this manner. The Chief Minister also announced financial assistance to ration dealers to hire additional staff to make the scheme a success.

“Ours is a humanitarian Government. Please do not go to Court and oppose the scheme,” the Chief Minister urged the people.

A similar scheme of delivering food grains was started by Aam Admi Party (AAP) Government in Delhi which has been contested by the Centre. The Union Government has urged the Delhi government to follow provisions of National Food Security Act passed by the Parliament for delivering foodgrains.

Mamata to visit Delhi next week

Ms. Banerjee is likely to visit New Delhi on November 22 and may call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Among the issues which Chief Minister is likely to bring up before with the Prime Minister is the Centre’s move to increase the jurisdiction of the Border Security Force. The Chief Minister had earlier written a letter to the Prime Minister protesting against the Centre’s move to increase territorial jurisdiction of BSF.

The visit of the Trinamool Congress chairperson to the national capital comes just before the winter session of the Parliament. She is likely to meet representatives of different political parties in Delhi. Ms. Banerjee had visited the national capital in July earlier this year where she had met representatives of different political parties in Opposition including Congress. She had called on the Prime Minister on July 27.

Sources in the Trinamool Congress said that Chief Minister is likely to raise the issue of State’s dues pending with the Centre. A few months ago, the Chief Minister started ‘Lakshmir Bhandar’ a conditional cash transfer scheme for women across the State. The scheme is likely to cost ₹1,000 crore a month to the State exchequer.