Chandigarh, Aug 21 (PTI) BJP in Punjab on Thursday slammed the AAP government, accusing it of halting its awareness camps, which are aimed at ensuring benefits of the central schemes reach people in the state.
A delegation of the BJP’s Punjab unit on Thursday met Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria here, seeking his intervention in the matter.
Addressing the media after meeting the Governor, Punjab BJP working president Ashwani Sharma alleged that the AAP government by “misusing” the Punjab Police, stopped the camps, which were organised to ensure that the poor, the scheduled caste community, farmers, youth and women get the benefits of public welfare schemes of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre.
He called the stopping of its awareness camps allegedly at the behest of the AAP government as unconstitutional.
“Our camps have been stopped,” Sharma alleged.
He said that the camps were organized at 39 places.
“We have apprised the Governor of the matter, he said.
He further said, “I want to ask Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann to fight a political battle. Why are you getting scared of the BJP?” Don’t you want the poor get benefits of the central schemes,” he further asked Mann.
Responding to some allegations, he asserted that there was no question of any data theft in these camps.
In a memorandum submitted to the Governor, the delegation alleged that there a “deliberate harassment” being inflicted upon the party workers, volunteers, and the innocent inhabitants of several villages across Punjab, where awareness camps have been initiated to spread vital information about the central government welfare schemes.
“Our party workers and volunteers, with the consent and active participation of the local residents, have been conducting these awareness camps in different villages,” said the memorandum.
“The sole purpose of these camps is to educate the people about availing benefits of important schemes such as Ayushman Bharat health cards, old-age pension, farmers’ welfare programmes, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, and many other Union Government initiatives designed particularly for the poor, the farmers, the downtrodden, and the SC/ST communities,” it said.
The delegation accused the Punjab government “of creating obstacles in this noble cause”.
“In almost every camp, the state police and local administration have intervened to stop BJP workers and volunteers from providing information, ” it said.
The allegation regarding data collection is false, baseless, and politically motivated, it said.
The BJP delegation urged the Governor to direct the Punjab government to immediately desist from “harassing” BJP workers, volunteers, and local inhabitants who are voluntarily participating in these awareness programmes.
The Punjab Police on Wednesday said that it has formed several teams to investigate that some unauthorized persons are allegedly collecting personal information of individuals for the government schemes.
The inquiries have been instituted after receipt of complaints stating that personal data of citizens is being collected by unauthorized persons who are holding camps, making the personal data vulnerable to data thefts and bank frauds, it had said.
Separately, a Punjab government statement had also said the government has received credible reports that certain private operators are illegally collecting personal data of local residents, allegedly on behalf of political parties.
Under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act), any collection or use of personal data without consent is a punishable offence, the state government statement had said. PTI CHS SUN NB NB
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