Didn’t get 35kg of free rice, say AAY ration card holders, min asks for info

Guwahati: Taking a note on alleged irregularities in the public distribution system (PDS), the food, civil supplies and consumer affairs minister Ranjeet Kumar Dass on Monday asked the ration card holders to share information regarding such anomalies with the authorities concerned without any delay so that corruption, if any, can be detected and prevented at its root.
Major irregularities in the public distribution system, depriving poor people from their dues, in Guwahati and in various other parts of the state have come to the fore.
The families, who have an annual income below Rs 1 lakh, are eligible for Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) ration cards under the National Food Security programme. They can avail the benefit of 35 kg of rice grain for free against each card. Several AAY card holders in the city claimed that they were not given the promised quota of 35 kg rice for the months of October and November last year and January this year.
A daily wager, a resident of Chandmari, on condition of anonymity said, “The owner of the fair price shop (FPS) says that the food & civil supply department did not release the quotas for the months for which we did not receive rice. They behave rudely if someone questions a lot. I am not the only victim.”
Meanwhile, on receiving complaints regarding the alleged irregularities, the Kamrup (Metro) district deputy commissioner Pallav Gopal Jha took directed the officials to conduct a ground inquiry. “Action will be taken against fair price shop owners if found guilty,” Jha said.