Chatrapati Sambhajinagar: The ambitious Shiv Bhojan Thali scheme, started by the state government, should continue, and the centre owners should be given pending funds immediately, demanded former MP Imtiyaz Jaleel. Around 50 MLAs and 5 MPs from the state have supported the demand, and a letter in this regard has been sent to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, and Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, Jaleel informed.
Jaleel mentioned in the letter that around 2 lakh poor and needy people take advantage of the Shiv Bhojan Thali for just ₹10. An annual budget of just ₹260 crore is allocated for the scheme, and there are around 1,800 centres in the state. Around five families are sustained by each centre, meaning approximately 9,000 families are dependent on them.
However, the centre owners have not received the pending funds from the government to run the centres. As a result, most of the centres are on the verge of closure, and many poor and needy people are being deprived of affordable food, he mentioned in the letter.
There are around 85 Shiv Bhojan Thali centres in the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and surrounding rural areas. The centre owners have not received funds for the past seven months and, therefore, could not pay rent or purchase groceries to run the centres.
Therefore, the scheme, which provides food for the poor, should not be closed under any circumstances. The government should immediately release the funds and continue the scheme forever, Jaleel demanded.
