Badal’s stickers to corner Kairon on Atta-Dal cards

Patiala : The Chief Minister’s office has suspended the distribution of Atta-Dal Scheme cards by the Food and Civil Supplies Department among over 30 lakh households. Reason: The cards carry the picture of Food and Civil Supplies Minister Adaish Partap Singh Kairon, not of the Badals.
Now, the cards will be distributed after stickers with Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s photo are pasted beside Kairon’s picture.
A senior IAS officer said the cards were received a fortnight ago and they were initially told to distribute these. “However, when we reported to our seniors that pictures of the CM and the Deputy CM were missing, we were told not to give away the cards till further orders,” the officer added. The Punjab Government had recently directed the deputy commissioners to expedite card distribution among the beneficiaries. Sources said the cards were printed and sent to the districts by food and civil supplies officers on the directions of the department’s top brass. “Carrying the CM’s photo or mentioning his name is a decision to be taken by the political boss, not us,” an officer said.
The cards also mention Kairon’s designation and address, besides a message from him about the scheme.
Efforts to contact Kairon as well as Director, Food and Civil Supplies, Shiv Dular Dhillon proved futile. Joint Director Simarjot Kaur also could not be contacted. Rahul Tewari, Special Principal Secretary to Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal, said he had issued written orders to all DCs to wait for 30 lakh stickers to be sent to them in the next few days. “These will be pasted on all cards. There was a goof-up by the food and civil supplies officers who got the cards printed,” he said.