Minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas livid for giving Rs 3,000-crore ration kit distribution to Rajasthan co-op dept

JAIPUR: Food minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas is peeved at the state government's decision to hand over Rs 3,000-crore ration kit distribution to the Rajasthan State Co-operative Consumer Federation Ltd (CONFED) instead of the food department.
The minister claimed the budget announcement was for the food department which is the right agency to distribute kits as it is given to NFSA beneficiaries.
Khachariyawas alleged that shifting the scheme to the cooperative department is mischief by the officials. The minister said he would take up the matter with the chief minister.
The chief minister announced in the budget that ration kits will be distributed to about 1 crore families under the NFSA beneficiaries every month to reduce the burden of inflation and price rise. Each kit comprising food articles is expected to cost Rs 400. Since the government has very limited time to execute the scheme before the announcement of the assembly elections, it has decided that CONFED, under co operative department which runs many departmental stores procure the items for distribution without tender much to the chagrin of the food minister.
The minister sees it as a conspiracy.
Speaking to media, He said, “My department work is being assigned to another department, then what is the need of the food department? I will talk to the chief minister.”
CONFED was not able to do the work it was already given and had many complaints, then why this new task was given? he asked.
Khachariawas claimed that the food department could do the job of the ration kit scheme very well.
“We have a foolproof system of distributing ration wheat. We are distributing wheat through POS machines. CONFED is working without tender nomination. While we work with tender under the Rajasthan Transparency in Public Procurement (RTPP) Act.”