Acting on complaints on irregularities in issuing new ration cards under National Food Security Scheme (NFSS), Dehradun District Food and Civil Supply department has decided to conduct an inquiry. Informing this on Wednesday, the district food and civil supply officer Vipin Kumar said, “The department officials would conduct an inquiry into the alleged irregularities in new ration cards released to the beneficiaries under NFSS.”
Kumar, however, regretted that the complainants have disappeared after lodging complaints. “As per the department rule, an inquiry cannot be completed unless the complainants come forward. Their cooperation is needed,” he said.
According to the complainants, there are many new ration cardholders under NFSS who are not eligible to secure such cards as their incomes are more than the prescribed amount Rs 15,000 as fixed by the Central Government. Besides, some PDS outlet owners have such ration cards released for people who do not know anything about it.
Kumar said that the inquiry would look into the efficacy of all such complaints. He also said that the main beneficiaries are not getting any benefits.
He further informed that all the new ration cards released under NFSS would be verified once in five years. As NFSS was started in 2013 so all the ration cards released under NFSS would be verified from April next, he added.
It will be recalled that after the launch of NFSS on August 20, 2013 in the state, the then chief minister Vijay Bahuguna had distributed ration kits to 100 women beneficiaries, announcing that under the scheme, the poor would get five kilos of food grain comprising three kilos of rice and two kilos of wheat per person for Rs 3 and Rs 2 per kg respectively. BPL and Antyodaya card holders were included in the scheme. He had also stated that the APL section having monthly income Rs 15,000 would also benefit after they were provided with the new ration cards under the scheme.