Rajasthan Government stamps 1.5 Lakhs Houses with ‘I am Poor’ to take benefits from Centre

• The government in Rajasthan stamped 1.5L BPL households with stamps 'I am poor' in order to avail food subsidies
• Rajasthan government has been under attack for failing to fix its public distribution system
• This decision has sparked controversies as the people feel humiliated

Rajasthan, June 23, 2017: In a shocking incident, 1.5L houses in Rajasthan's Dausa district were stamped with a message 'I am poor, receive ration'. The decision to do this was taken so as to receive food assistance from the government. The stamp also included the full names of the people.

Local reports are flooding in alleging the Rajasthan government of this humiliating act. While the Rajasthan government believes that this step was necessary so that food assistance to BPL households is swifter and to eliminate rich families and middlemen, critics and opposition say, it is publicly shaming the poor.

'I am poor and receive ration from Nation Food Security Act' is the message that is to be put up. Furthermore, any household that refuses to comply with this act will not be entitled to the benefits, said the state government.

According to ANI, 70 percent families in Dausa district currently benefit from the welfare scheme. The houses marked are particularly in Sikrai and Bandikui tehsils. These BPL households mainly comprise of the backward classes, scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, and other minorities.

There is a possibility that this is a clear cut case of class profiling. Needless to say, the people are not happy. Families are disappointed in the government and believe that the program was unnecessary for a few kilograms of wheat.

– by Saksham Narula of NewsGram. Twitter: @Saksham2394