Ranchi, Dec. 16: This is the season when the poorest die of cold. The state officially has around 24 lakh families living below the poverty line while 3.6 lakh families are said to fall under the ?poorest of the poor? category.

But the state government has spent more money in buying new cars for ministers and sending the chief minister abroad than the Rs 32-lakh it set aside to ?purchase blankets? for distribution among the destitute. With an average family size of four members, it would mean a per capita allocation of Rs 2.50 for the poorest of the poor. With the government purchasing each blanket at prices ranging from Rs 113 to Rs 200 and more, there is obviously no way all the ?poorest? can ever get them.

Even more shocking is the fact that the two districts, which are yet to purchase the blankets, are Ranchi and Seraikela, the latter being the home district of the chief minister. The purchase committee is due to meet at Seraikela on December 17, while the deputy director of social security at Ranchi, Vinod Kumar, asserted the blankets would be purchased ?within a week?. The consignment is expected to reach Giridih on December 22, while Dhanbad and Koderma deputy commissioners claimed to have completed the distribution.

Labour department claims to have released an amount to each district in September itself and blames the district authorities for their failure to purchase the blankets on time. The director (social security), Nirmal Bhuiyan, says the labour department provides old age pension to 25 per cent of the families below poverty line. The rest of the BPL families are covered under the Annapurna scheme, under which 10 kg of foodgrain are expected to be provided to each family every month; they are also the ones identified as eligible to receive the blankets.

In reply to how the blankets are distributed and how the beneficiaries are selected, and whether or not the department physically monitors the distribution, Bhuiyan asserted he was too busy with Assembly session to find answers to them.

A quick survey revealed, while Koderma district claims to have completed distribution of 286 blankets and Dhanbad, of 800 blankets, the number in East Singhbhum is pegged at 690. Giridih is distributing the highest number of blankets (1,329), while Palamau has earmarked 1,100 and Ranchi 1,300.

The delay has shocked observers because of the dust raised in 2003 by a similar controversy that led to the suspension of the then labour secretary, Mary Beena Kachchap. Even a section of the bureaucracy claims to be appalled at the apathy.

?According to Hindu mythology, Diwali marks the onset of winter and Jharkhand is no stranger to chilly winters; why then did the districts keep waiting till December,? exclaimed an official.

Palamau DC Vinay Kumar Choubey claimed, though the blankets were not distributed last year, they are usually distributed in December. This time, he assured, last year?s quota, too, would be distributed. Hazaribagh DC Rajiv Purwar claimed to have purchased the blankets at last year?s rates while assistant director (social security) of East Singhbhum asserted the distribution was going on.

The chief minister had announced in 2003 that five lakh blankets would be distributed to the poorest. Judging by the figures made available so far, only around 60,000 blankets were planned to be distributed during the last winter and this one. With officials reluctant to furnish details of distribution, it is anybody?s guess how many of the poorest actually turned lucky.