Panjab Locks Horns With Union Govt over Ration Cards; Accident Reveals LPG Theft

Since the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government took charge in Panjab in March 2022, the number of National Food Security Act (NFSA) beneficiaries in the state has seen major variations. At the time the AAP govt came to power, Panjab had about 14.3M beneficiaries. By early 2023, this number rose sharply to 15.7M. This triggered a massive verification drive, during which nearly 1.3M ineligible beneficiaries were struck off. However, ahead of the Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament) election in 2024, the state restored 1.07M names pending a fresh survey. The Indian union govt has asked the Panjab govt to verify the antecedents of these restored beneficiaries and remove them by 30 Sep. Panjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has accused the union govt of conspiring to 'snatch ration from the poor.' Mann alleged on X, 'They are striking off 2.3M people by saying e-KYC (bank document verification) is pending, while another 3.2M by saying they are not poor and hence not eligible.' The union govt argues that the e-KYC verification was mandated by the Supreme Court of India and that states, not the union govt, decide inclusion or exclusion. Meanwhile, on 22 Aug night, around 10 pm, a Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) tanker caught fire after colliding with a pickup vehicle near Mandiala Adda on the Hoshiarpur-Jalandhar road. The blaze spread rapidly, engulfing nearly 15 shops and at least four houses in the vicinity. Two people died, while 21 others sustained injuries. On 26 Aug the toll was seven. Hoshiarpur Senior Superintendent of Police Sandeep Malik said the ill-fated tanker was heading to the Sukhchain Singh Sukha’s farmhouse where LPG was to be siphoned off and sold in the black market. Investigation revealed a second module run by Avtar Singh of Bullowal village and brothers Ramesh Kumar and Raj Kumar, both residents of Lama Pind, Jalandhar. They operated their pilfering site under the guise of a tent house, a few kilometers from the spot of the tragedy.