She said Rs 1,000 would be given in a similar manner to 1.5 lakh families coming under above poverty line (APL). The Lieutenant Governor said as much as Rs 54 crores would be disbursed through bank accounts of the beneficiaries.

The free rice scheme has been a bone of contention between Bedi and Chief Minister V Narayanasamy. He had accused Bedi of being keen to bring disrepute to his government by pushing for the direct benefit transfer (DBT) mode for welfare schemes such as free rice and garments distribution.

"Distribution of free rice is the policy decision of the elected government... Distribution of rice was adopted by previous governments here. It is nothing new. The Lt Governor is keen about bringing in disrepute to the elected government by taking the stand to adopt DBT mode," he had charged. On the other hand, Bedi had said DBT was the just and honest mode in implementation of the free rice scheme and said she suspected corrupt practices would creep in if rice was distributed, which was what Narayanasamy favoured.

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