Kiran Bedi's no free rice order draws flak, she retracts

New Delhi : Puducherry's Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi on Saturday passed a controversial order of halting free rice to villages which fail to get a certificate of open-defecation and garbage free before May 31. However, she received a lot of criticism from all sections of the society, later retracting her order.

Earlier, she gave a four-week ultimatum to the local authorities to avail the certificate. In a statement, she said, "free rice scheme shall be conditional to the certification of the village being open defecation free and free of strewn garbage and plastics by submitting a joint certificate given by the MLA and the Commune Commissioner to the Civil Supplies Commissioner."

"Till then the free rice supplies will be kept on hold. It shall be distributed to beneficiaries on the village being certified clean. The certification shall also be cross-checked to ensure its veracity."

AIADMK came down heavily onto this and said it is a duty of the municipal corporation to ensure no garbage accumulation and poor people should not be victimised.

After her tweet triggered an outcry, Bedi withdrew her order and issued a clarification: To avoid misreading of my intention and in view of the forthcoming commitment made by the UT Government that villages in Puducherry will achieve ODF by June end, I am happy to give them some more time. Therefore I am withholding my earlier communications.