Veteran leader in favour of subsidised meal programme, which Mahayuti placed on chopping block; now that Bhujbal has become minister of the department that runs the scheme, it remains to be seen if the programme will survive or the government will shelve the initiative
NCP (Ajit Pawar) leader Chhagan Bhujbal, after his induction into the cabinet at Raj Bhavan. Pic/Atul Kamble
OBC leader Chhagan Bhujbal on Friday was allocated the food and civil supplies portfolio. A couple of months ago, when there was buzz about the Mahayuti government’s plans to end the subsidised Shiv Bhojan Thali scheme, despite being a ruling party MLA, Bhujbal was in favour of retaining the programme. Now that Bhujbal has become minister of the department that runs the scheme, it remains to be seen if the programme will survive or the government will shelve the initiative.
Last year, soon after the Mahayuti government comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-headed Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) came to power, there was buzz about government plans to wind up the Shiv Bhojan Thali scheme, which was started by the erstwhile Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar-led NCP-SP.
However, those close to Bhujbal claim that the OBC leader had then spoken to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis about the scheme, mentioning that it provides food to the needy at a subsidised Rs 10 per day and needed to be continued.
According to details available, there are around 2000 Shiv Bhojan Thali centres, and nearly two lakh people are provided food at subsidised cost by the state government through the scheme.
Now that Bhujbal has been given a portfolio that places him directly in charge of the scheme, many believe that the meal programme will survive as the minister himself is in support of it.
On May 20, Bhujbal was inducted into the cabinet. Three days later, he was allocated a portfolio that was lying vacant following the resignation of NCP (Ajit Pawar) leader Dhananjay Munde in March this year. During the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government, Bhujbal was heading the same portfolio. After a split in the Shiv Sena, Eknath Shinde became the chief minister with the support of the BJP, later joined by Ajit Pawar’s NCP. Then, too, Bhujbal was made food and civil supplies minister.
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