category Regional, chandigarh, , tags Regional, chandigarh, , DW BUREAU Chandigarh Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala, announced that starting April 1, 2024, sunflower oil will also be made available on demand to BPL card holders of the state. Providing updates on the initiatives in the interest of BPL cardholders, the Deputy Chief Minister said even after increasing the income limit in the state, about 57 lakh new beneficiaries have come under the ambit of BPL. As the Deputy CM overseeing the Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs Department, he highlighted the state government s decision to raise the income limit for BPL cardholders from Rs 1.20 lakh annually to Rs 1.80 lakh two years ago. Responding about the concerns raised by some people about a decrease in the number of BPL beneficiaries, Sh. Chautala clarified that prior to the revision of the limit in December 2022, there were 26,94,484 BPL cards and 1,22,12,778 beneficiaries. Following the limit revision, as of January 2024, the number of BPL cards has increased to 44,86,954, with beneficiaries reaching 1,79,44,045. In total, approximately 57 lakh beneficiaries have been newly added to the BPL list. The Deputy Chief Minister said that BPL cardholders will also receive pending rations. He explained that due to the inclusion of 57 lakh new beneficiaries in the BPL list, some recipients were unable to access their rations. Following a letter written to the Central Government requesting rations for the new beneficiaries, permission has been granted, and the remaining rations will be distributed promptly. The state government will procure wheat from central agencies and sugar from sugarcane mills. He further disclosed that while the price of mustard oil was being transferred to the bank accounts of BPL cardholders through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), there were demands from the public to receive oil directly from the depot instead of money. In response, the government has decided to provide only mustard oil to BPL beneficiaries. Additionally, he announced that starting from April 1, 2024, sunflower oil will also be distributed to BPL cardholders in the state. Both mustard oil and sunflower oil will be allocated to BPL beneficiaries based on the demand received from each district, he added. (editor dailyworld.in)