West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has announced a Durga Puja ration package offering flour, sugar and suji at a 50% subsidy for two crore families through the state’s rationing system during the puja week.
The package has an allocation of Rs 150 crore, according to the announcement made by Adhikari at Nabanna on Saturday. The scheme is intended to reduce the cost of essential food items for eligible families ahead of the festival.
Under the announced rates, one kilogram of flour will be available for Rs 19 and one kilogram of sugar for Rs 30. Each family will also receive 500 grams of suji. The government has said the items will be distributed through the existing rationing network rather than through a separate delivery mechanism.
“We have decided to give flour, sugar, and suji at half price to two crore families. They will get a 50% subsidy,” Adhikari said at Nabanna, as reported by the Times of India.
The announcement places the rationing system at the centre of the festival benefit programme. Distribution is scheduled for the puja week, meaning the availability of the subsidised items will depend on procurement, supply movement and delivery through ration outlets before and during the festival period.
The tender process for flour and sugar has been completed, while the tender for suji is still under process. This creates a difference in procurement status between the three items, although the government has announced the package as a combined benefit for the participating families.
The Rs 150 crore allocation covers the festival package for the stated beneficiary base of two crore families. Based on the announced number of households, the allocation works out to an average budget provision of Rs 75 per family, though the report does not specify the item-wise cost split, procurement quantities or the administrative expenses associated with distribution.
The programme also adds a temporary festival component to the regular functioning of the public rationing system. Its delivery will require ration outlets to receive the subsidised flour, sugar and suji, communicate the applicable quantities and prices to beneficiaries, and complete distribution during the specified puja-week window.
The government has not, in the supplied announcement, detailed the dates of distribution, the eligibility documentation required at ration shops, the number of participating outlets or the arrangements for households that cannot collect the items during the puja week. Further operational details are expected to determine how the announced subsidy reaches the two crore families.
For now, the stated next steps are the completion of the suji tender and the distribution of all three items through the rationing system during the puja week.
