Free food kits for 40L needy families as CM launches ‘Meri Rasoi’

Sangrur: Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Saturday launched the ‘Meri Rasoi Yojna' at a programme in Bhalwan village in Sangrur, beginning the distribution of free nutritional food kits among nearly 40 lakh poor and economically weaker families across Punjab.He said the objective of the scheme was to reduce kitchen expenses of poor families and improve nutrition. He said each kit would include 2kg moong-chana dal, 2kg sugar, 1kg iodised salt, 200 grams turmeric and 1 litre mustard oil. He said beneficiary families would receive the kitchen kit every three months.Addressing a public gathering, the chief minister said, "Previous govts had restricted welfare measures merely to the distribution of wheat and pulses, whereas the Punjab govt has taken a comprehensive step to ensure that kitchens of poor and middle-class households remain functional with all essential cooking items required for daily needs. Under the ‘Meri Rasoi' scheme, every beneficiary family will receive a specially prepared kitchen kit every three months containing mustard oil, pulses, sugar, salt, turmeric and other essential grocery items required for running a household kitchen."He said the scheme was designed keeping in mind the practical needs of ordinary families, especially women managing household responsibilities, and said proper nutrition for children was important for their education, health and participation in sports. "Proper nutrition for children is extremely important for their education, health and participation in sports. Our govt wants every household to have access to nutritious and essential food items so that children do not suffer weakness due to lack of protein-rich food," he said.Highlighting welfare measures, he said nearly 90% of households in Punjab were receiving zero electricity bills. On agriculture and irrigation, he said the AAP govt ensured uninterrupted daytime power supply to farmers. "Our govt has rejuvenated the canal irrigation system by restoring and laying nearly 14,000 kilometres of water channels and pipelines across Punjab. This historic initiative has improved irrigation facilities and helped conserve groundwater," he said. He said better canal water availability reduced dependence on tube wells and would help save groundwater reserves.On women welfare, he said registration was underway for the "Mawan Dheeyan Satkar Yojna", under which eligible women would receive monthly financial assistance. "Women above 18 years of age should come forward and register for these schemes. Women from the general category will receive Rs 1,000 per month, while women from Scheduled Caste families will receive Rs 1,500 every month," he stated.On healthcare, he said the Punjab govt was providing free healthcare coverage of up to Rs 10 lakh under the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna. and People can avail cashless treatment in govt as well as empanelled private hospitals. He said more than 35 lakh health cards were issued and the govt was expanding healthcare access.He criticised earlier bureaucratic hurdles in welfare schemes and said the Punjab govt simplified registration by removing biometric verification systems that caused inconvenience, especially to women and elderly citizens. "Many women engaged in household work face difficulties in biometric authentication because their fingerprints fade over time. That is why the Punjab govt has simplified the process through photograph-based verification," he said.CM Bhagwant Singh Mann posted on X: "Today in Sangrur, we launched the ‘CM Meri Rasoi Yojna' for the welfare of 40 lakh families, under which ration kits will be distributed four times a year to protect children from malnutrition.""Our govt is making life easier for every section of society by providing free electricity, the ‘CM Sehat Yojna', the ‘Mawan Dheeyan Satkar Yojna', uninterrupted daytime power supply and canal water to farmers. From village Satouj, we are also beginning the historic initiative of undergrounding electricity wires to make Punjab completely ‘Pole-Free'," he added."Previous govts merely indulged in politics over sacrilege incidents, but we have ensured protection of Guru maryada by bringing a strict law with provisions of life imprisonment and a Rs 50 lakh penalty. This journey towards building a ‘Rangla Punjab' will continue relentlessly," the CM said in the post.