Previously Approved Transporters of MP Civil Supplies Corporation Continue Supply Contracts | India News – Times of India

BHOPAL: The Supreme Court, presided over by Justices A S Bopanna and P S Narsimha, upheld its decision to maintain the stay on the implementation of

the ‘CM Yuva Annadoot Yojna’

initiated by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, which aimed to provide employment opportunities to the unemployed youth of Madhya Pradesh.
Earlier in August 2023, the Supreme Court granted interim relief to transporters, allowing them to sustain their transportation services to MP Civil Supplies Corporation(MPCSCL) until further orders, effectively putting a hold on the implementation of the CM Scheme across the state.This move came in response to the sudden termination of all existingcontracts, which were set to be handed over to local residents at the Janpad Panchayat level through a lottery system under the ‘CM Yuva Annadoot Yojna’.
In July 2023, the Division Bench of the High Court in Jabalpur dismissed over 50 petitions, giving the green signal to the CM Yuva Annadoot Yojna Scheme. However, the contractors challenged this decision in the Supreme Court, which granted them interim relief and allowed them to continue transporting food materials as per the previously executed contracts with the MPCSCL, until further notice.
The State Government, expressing dissatisfaction over the suspension of the CM Scheme’s implementation, filed a stay vacation application, arguing that the Scheme’s objective of providing employment to the state’s unemployed youth should not be hindered.
It emphasized the Scheme’s crucial role in supporting approximately 27,000 fair price and ration shops, which serve as the backbone of food and civil supplies in the rural areas of the state.
In response, Advocate Siddharth R Gupta, representing the petitioners, highlighted that the Scheme appeared to be a populist strategy funded by public resources, benefiting the ruling party’s favored individuals at the expense of experienced transporters. Gupta further contended that the Scheme suffered from several unconstitutional flaws, justifying the continuation of the stay order.
The Supreme Court, in light of these arguments, declined to vacate or modify the interim relief granted to the transporters, directing the placement of the entire batch of 50+ related cases for a final hearing on November 24th.