Tripura Food and Civil Supplies Minister Sushanta Chowdhury on Monday accused CPI(M) leaders of spreading misinformation over the state government’s festive distribution of free semolina, flour and sugar, asserting that supplies were being dispatched to ration shops across the state.
Dismissing allegations that the essential commodities were unavailable at ration shops, Chowdhury accused opposition leaders of making false claims in his name without contacting him. He urged political parties to base their criticism on facts rather than mislead the public.
“Political parties can criticize one another, but such criticism should be based on facts. Using someone’s name to spread false information is not acceptable,” the minister said while addressing the media.
Taking a swipe at the previous Left Front government, Chowdhury challenged the opposition to cite instances when similar festive relief was provided to the public during its tenure.
He said the present government had introduced the initiative to provide essential commodities free of cost, adding that such welfare measures required a commitment to supporting ordinary people.
Detailing the distribution programme, the minister said the government had announced 2 kg of flour, 1 kg of sugar and 500 grams of semolina per eligible ration cardholder family as part of its festive assistance scheme. This is the second time the government has introduced such a distribution initiative since assuming office.
According to Chowdhury, semolina and flour had reached around 59 per cent of ration shops across Tripura, while supplies were being dispatched to the remaining outlets. He said sugar had to be procured from outside the state, and the consignment arrived two days before his statement.
The formal distribution process began on Saturday under the supervision of senior Food Department officials, including the Principal Secretary and the Director. Symbolic distribution programmes were also held in urban and rural areas.
The minister said semolina and flour, which are milled within the state, would be distributed across all ration shops within the next three to four days. Sugar supplies were expected to reach all parts of Tripura within seven to 10 days.
Tripura has approximately 9.92 lakh ration cardholder families. Under the scheme, semolina is being provided to Antyodaya, Priority Group and Below Poverty Line (BPL) beneficiaries, while flour and sugar are being distributed to all ration cardholder families, including those under the Above Poverty Line (APL), BPL, Priority and Antyodaya categories.
The programme, covering the festive period from Durga Puja to Lakshmi Puja, Kali Puja and Bhai Phonta, involves an expenditure of approximately Rs 9 crore, Chowdhury said.
He thanked Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha and the finance minister for supporting the initiative and appealed to the media to ensure accurate reporting of the distribution process.
Assuring beneficiaries who have not yet received their supplies, Chowdhury said the remaining distribution would be completed within the next five to seven days. He urged opposition parties not to create unnecessary confusion and allow the process to proceed smoothly.