All 11 BJP MLAs suspended for entering Well of the House
They opposed the new method of ready-to-eat cooking being adopted by the state government.
RAIPUR:All the BJP MLAs were suspended for entering into the Well of the Chhattisgarh Assembly over the issue of ready-to-eat , raised during the Question Hour on Friday.
BJP MLA from Beltara constituency RajaneeshKumar Singh wanted to know from Women and Child Development Minister Anila Bhediyaabout the centralised system of ready-to-eat meal. In the meantime, Leader of Opposition Dharamlal Kaushik, senior BJP MLAs Ajay Chandrakar, Shivratan Sharma and otherOpposition members alleged the Congress government of snatching livelihood from women self-help groups and around 16,000 women would be unemployed once the new system comes into effect.
The Minister replied that the Chhattisgarh cabinet decided to cook ready-to-eat meal in a centralised kitchen through State Seed and Agriculture Development Corporation in place of the women self-help groups to ensure nutrition and hygiene. Units have been established for centralised kitchen in Raigarh district.
The distribution of ready-to-eat meal continues through the women self-help groups and therefore the women of the SHGs will not become unemployed, asserted the Minister in the House.
According to the guideline of Supreme Court, the State government has decided to cook hygienic meal through machines and so the State government has decided to cook the ready-to-eat meal in the centralized kitchen, AnilaBhendia said.
Leader of Opposition in Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly Dharamlal Kaushik asked the Minister that what the State government had taken the decision after the Chhattisgarh Chief Secretary’s affidavit regarding the cooking of ready-to-eat submitted in Supreme Court in 2013 and Supreme Court’s order. Minister Bhendiya informed that the after examinations of all matters, the State government has taken this decision. The cooking of ready-to-eat will be held in a centralized kitchen in Raigarh district from April 1. All preparations have been made for it, the Minister added.
The Minister said that at present, 16,655 women of 1605 women self-help groups are engaged in distribution of ready-to-eat meal. The opposition BJP MLAs pointed that the women self-help groups had procured machines for preparing ready-to-eat by taking loans from banks and if the new centralized cooking system would be introduced, these women would be unable pay their loans.
A plant has been set up at Panjiri on February 20, 1987. A joint venture Chhattisgarh Agro Food Corporation Limited has been set up for operation, technical support, enhancing production of the plant, in which 26 per cent share is the State Seed and Agriculture Development Corporation while 74 per cent share is the PBS Foods Private Limited, she added.
The BJP MLAs alleged that the much share was given to benefit the private party and financial irregularities took place. The BJP also demanded an investigation in the minister. Minister Bhendiya said that under the pressure of the opposition party, she could not allow investigation in this matter.
The Opposition BJP didn’t satisfy with the reply of the Minister and all of the MLAs entered the well and created chaos. 11 BJP MLAs including Leader of Opposition Dharamlal Kaushik, Dr Raman Singh, Brijmohan Agrawal, Ajay Chandrakar, Rajanish Kumar Singh, Dr Krishnamurthy Bandhi and other BJP MLAs automatically suspended and later they were called back to participate in the proceedings.
