Puducherry: Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi Suspends Free Rice Supply Till Villages Are Open-defecation, Garbage Free

Bedi reportedly gave the local authorities a four-week ultimatum which will end on May 31.

New Delhi, April 28: In yet another dictatorial decision, Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi on Saturday suspended supply of free rice to villagers across the Union territory until she receives a certificate by the local administration, claiming the villages were open-defecation and garbage free. Bedi reportedly gave a four-week ultimatum which will end on May 31.

In a letter to the MLAs in the Union Territory, Bedi reportedly said,”Till then the free rice supplies will be kept on hold and in safe storage. It shall be distributed to the beneficiaries on the village being certified clean. The certification shall also be cross checked to ensure its veracity. All constituencies are given four weeks notice to clean up their respective areas to be entitled for the free rice. The notice period ends on May 31st.”

Linked Free Rice distribution to respective constituency MLAs & Commune Commisioners Certifying villages open defecation free and of strewn garbage and plastic.
Free Rice reaches out to more than half d population primarily in rural areas
This is d learning of morning round today pic.twitter.com/CCIaVAGdDT

— Kiran Bedi (@thekiranbedi) April 28, 2018

“I am very anguished at the slow pace of rural sanitation. In the last two years, I have not seen local representatives and public officials determined to make rural Puducherry clean within a time frame. I am sorry this cannot go on. This was the 155 Morning Weekend Round Of Team Raj Nivas spanning over the last two years. Yet we have not transformed in proportion to the effort and energy that has gone into. In all our rural visits we have seen community leaders putting forth various demands on behalf of the people, but I have never seen any of them impatient at cleaning up the village in their constituency. Which is the cause of several diseases also in the village through contamination of water,” She added further.

“I am sure the community leaders including concerned public servants will take the lead in this transformation. I also urge the NABARD to support only NGO who has inbuilt waste management as integral part of its training programs,” Bedi stated.

Earlier, Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy had charged L-G Kiran Bedi with putting several obstacles in the implementation of welfare schemes. Talking to reporters, the Chief Minister had said that the Lt Governor wanted the government to go for direct benefit transfer scheme instead of supplying rice to card-holders and deposit the cash equivalent in bank accounts of beneficiaries.