The Minister for Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali today convened a meeting with district administration Rajouri and Poonch to review the progress in the implementation of National Food Security Act (NFSA) and Mufti Mohammad Sayeed Food Entitlement Scheme (MMSFES) in these districts.MLA Rajouri Ch. Qamar Hussain, MLA Haveli Shah Mohd. Tantray, Director CA&PD GS Chib, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Rajouri Mumtaz Choudhary and other officers of the concerned departments were present in the meeting.
The Minister took a comprehensive review of the progress registered in distribution of ration cards, stock position, supply of essentials and fixed the deadline of July 31, 2016 for distribution of error free ration cards and e- tickets to the consumers of Rajouri and Poonch. “New fair price shops would be opened in both the districts so that the people don’t face any difficulty in getting the ration,” he added.Zulfkar maintained that the concerned departments should work in tandem to ensure that the benefits of NFSA percolate to the target groups. He also stressed on strict vigil to curb black-marketing and pilferages, reiterating zero tolerance against those indulging in unlawful activities.Terming NFSA as pro-poor Act, the Minister said that some vested interests are misleading the people by projecting the scheme in wrong perspective.
Dispelling the rumors about shortage of food grains, the Minister said that we have sufficient amount of food grains and there is no problem of shortage of ration. After implementing this Act, the department has saved approximately Rs 254 crore of people, as quality ration is being provided to them on subsidized rates, he added. The Minister said that the pro-people schemes of NFSA and MMSFES will enhance the ration supply considerably. Highlighting the figures, the Minister said that under the MMSFES, the quota of ration has increased from 32,000 quintal to 52,000 quintal and from 21,000 quintal to 34,000 quintal in districts of Rajouri and Poonch respectively, adding that, under this scheme, more than 5, 23,000 souls of Rajouri will be benefitted.
Deliberating upon the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, the Minister informed that 8 lakh free gas connections will be provided to the BPL women beneficiaries in the state. He asked the representatives of oil companies to work in coordination with the district administration and organize awareness camps to sensitize the stakeholders about the scheme and identification of the genuine beneficiaries who can be provided benefits of the scheme.Earlier, while addressing an awareness programme organized by the CA&PD department, the Minister said that the government is committed to provide adequate supply of quality ration to the consumers in the state and effective mechanism has been put in place to ensure hassle-free supply of ration.