Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has come under fire after local news reports stated that local authorities asked families who receive subsidised foodgrain to paint “I am from a poor family” on the walls.
Photos of walls show the message “I am from a poor family, hence I get ration from NFSA”, followed by the name and address painted against a yellow background on walls in over 50,000 dwellings in Sikrai and Bandikui districts, as per a report in Dainik Bhaskar.
The reason behind this branding is to prevent misuse of government schemes by those who are not below poverty line.
Additional Collector of Dausa, KC Sharma, told HT that district administration had not given any such directive. “The zila parishad could have issued the directive as there were complaints of misuse of the Food Security Act by those who are not eligible. I will look into this complaint,” he said.
Speaking to Times Now on the matter, a villager said:
“Just for about 15 kgs of grains we have spoilt our walls. Everyone asks us why we got this shameful thing written outside our houses.
Another villager told Times Now:
If you see the board, of course you will be ashamed. The government is definitely making fun of the poor. This is how things stand. We were promised Rs 750. It’s been 12 months, didn’t get a single penny.
The government reportedly also offered a cash incentive of Rs 750 to get the sign painted, The Wire stated.
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