Govt to ensure food availability: CM

Betul, Apr 07: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today assured that the BJP Government would ensure food availability for the public despite cutting in foodgrain supply by the Centre under the Public Distribution System.

Chouhan, while addressing public meetings at several places in the support of party candidate for Lok Sabha by-election from Betul constituency, alleged that the Centre was meting out step-motherly treatment to the state. Criticising the alleged comment made by Union Minister Kamal Nath about poor, Chouhan demanded that he apologise to public for his remark. He raised questions at Nath's hyper-activeness in Betul.

The Chief Minister said inflation was rising constantly in the country but the Congress was blaming public for price rise. The government had decided to launch the 'Annapurna Yojana' for ensuring food availability to public but its implementation has not started because of the Centre. Under the scheme, poor would get wheat at Rs three per kg and rice at Rs four per kg. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, during his visit to Betul constituency on Monday, accused Union Minister Kamalnath for insulting the under-privileged and poor people of the country.

Besides, Chouhan also asked the gathering, the reason behind the inflation, but when the gathering answered that inflation was because of the Congress, the Chief Minister said that the reason behind the inflation is that the poor is getting meals. Besides, Bharatiya Janata Party senior leader and Ex-Chief Minister Kailash Joshi, while talking with the media persons said that the Congress is responsible for the backwardness and inflation of the State and Country. He further said, “Development done in the state by the BJP in four years is far more than the development done by the Congress when they were in power for more than 5 decades.”