CPI welcomes cheap rice scheme for poor

The CPI on Friday welcomed the government's cheap rice scheme for the poor but said the rice allotment should have been more as 25 kg was not enough.

"It is definitely a welcome step. But the quantity of 25 kg is not adequate. It should have been more." party leader Gurudas Dasgupta said.

The CPI MP, however, was sceptical about the government's other announcements like making cities slum free. "From where will money come to make cities slum free?" he asked.

"Unless government makes budgetary provision for this, it would be a non-starter," he said.

Durg BJP MP Saroj Pandey said the government should make provision for minimum 35 kg rice because 25 kg is too less for a family.

Rural dvelopment mnister C P Joshi said there will not be any shortage of resources to execute the plans announced on Thursday.

"We delivered whatever we promised in the last elections. That is why people voted us to continue in office. This time also we would implement whatever we had promised."