Flagship plan: Punjab Govt a step closer to home delivery of atta
Ruchika M Khanna
Chandigarh, August 8
The state government is all set to launch its flagship scheme of home delivery of wheat flour (atta) on October 1. The process to identify the partners for grinding the wheat into flour and for home delivery of the flour to 1.41 crore beneficiaries (36 lakh families) in the state is almost complete.
About the scheme
- Launch date: October 1
- 5 kg wheat or atta per month
- 1.41 crore beneficiaries
- Rs 600-650 cr additional burden on exchequer
The tenders, inviting technical bids for grinding of wheat, were opened today. In all, 34 bids were received, which are being evaluated for qualification by an expert committee of officials from Markfed, the nodal agency appointed for this scheme, and the Food and Civil Supplies Department.
How quality will be ensured
Principal Secretary (Food and Supplies) Gurkirat Kirpal Singh says the scheme has an end-to-end monitoring mechanism of supply management
The wheat given to the flour mill owners will have to be grounded and picked up by the partner for delivery, all within seven days
The stocks at the flour mill will be monitored regularly. This will ensure that the atta delivered remains of good quality
The bids received for choosing the delivery partners for the scheme, those who would collect the flour from the grinding mills and deliver it to the beneficiaries, will be opened on Tuesday.
“Those who qualify for the technical bids among grinding unit owners and the delivery partners will have to make the financial bids. It is from these bids that the partners will be chosen,” Markfed Managing Director Ramvir said.
Official sources have told The Tribune that the finer details of implementing the flagship scheme, announced by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann within weeks of assuming charge, have also been worked out. All beneficiaries will soon be asked to give their options online on whether they want to receive atta or wheat. Those who opt for wheat will get it at 5 kg per beneficiary through the ration depots directly.
For those opting for atta, the wheat will be sent to the chakki owners for grinding. “We will be giving them wheat (at the rate of 5 kg per person per month) and they will have to ensure that even after grinding, the amount of packed atta remains the same. They will have to add extra flour on their own, when there is a weight loss after taking out chaff and foreign matter,” Principal Secretary (Food and Supplies) Gurkirat Kirpal Singh said.
For delivery purposes, the state has been divided into eight zones and each zone will have a different delivery partner. They will collect atta from the grinding unit and then deliver it at the doorstep of 36 lakh families.
The idea behind dividing the state into these eight zones is for better monitoring and keeping in view logistic requirements.
