Minister for Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer affairs and Information, Choudhary Zulfkar Ali today convened a meeting to review the progress in implementation of NFSA and MMSFE schemes in district Reasi and Udhampur.The Minister took a detailed review of the status of stock and supply position, allocation, lifting, distribution of essential commodities under PDS and directed the concerned Deputy Commissioners to put in place effective monitoring mechanism to ensure that ration distribution is further streamlined and made time bound. He said that effectiveness of any welfare scheme depends upon its efficient implementation on the ground so that the benefits reach the to the last man in the queue.“State government expends Rs. 700 crore on providing subsidized ration and it becomes imperative to ensure that these funds are utilized for optimum benefit of the public, the Minister said adding that it should be ensured that the field functionaries deliver on the ground.The Minister asked the Deputy Commissioners to fully sensitize vigilance monitoring committees about their duties primarily about the Public Distribution system and directed to start SMS alert facility for informing members of vigilance monitoring committee about the time of ration dispatch to their respective areas.
Minister also stressed upon the need to enhance community participation and monitoring in the distribution process to make it more transparent.While taking reviewing of the Aadhar seeding of ration cards, the Minister directed that the process should be expedited to check duplicity and ascertain the exact requirement of ration in a particular area. He also passed directions that henceforth all ration card holders shall submit their Aadhar cards or numbers to the concerned.Minister while reviewing the digitization process, asked the concerned to put in place the requisite measures for end to end computerization ensuring promptness and transparency in the service delivery. He also asked to expedite the process of installation of POS machine at the fair price shops to facilitate cashless transactionsDuring the meeting, the Minister also informed that the state government has decided to continue the subsidy on sugar for the priority households even as centre has stopped the same.
The Minister directed for strict adhering to time schedule of ration distribution from 10 to 15th of every month and submission of utilization certificate by the Assistant Directors. He said that from 17th of every lifting and stocking of ration for next month should start to ensure ration is provided to the consumers in time.He also asked concerned SDMs and tehsildars to closely monitor the process of ration distribution in their respective jurisdiction.The Minister also stressed upon the concerned to rework on the actual requirement of the kerosene oil in the districts so that adequate supply is ensured to the consumers in the areas where the penetration of LPG is relatively low.Zulfkar also took comprehensive review of the performance of Legal Metrology Department and stressed on intensive market checking to check the unfair trade practice and safeguard consumer’s interest. He said it should be ensured that service charges are not levied on the consumers and dual MRP are strictly checked.
He said that a committee comprising of Director CAPD as its head with ADC, Deputy Controller LMD, Deputy Director Supplies and concerned Ads as its members shall keep close check on overcharging . He also stressed upon the concerned agencies to expand their LPG coverage in the district and asked to organize more and more awareness camps to sensitize the people about PMUY for its effective implementation.While reviewing the working of Information department, the Minister asked the DIOs to highlight the success stories and development stories of their respective districts and also stressed on better coordination between the concerned departments and Information to ensure mass awareness of welfare schemes.Earlier, DC Reasi Ravinder Kumar and ADC Udhampur Avny Lavasa gave a detailed presentation highlighting the achievements and working of FCS&CA in the district.Director Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Ch Rashid Azam Inqalabi, Joint Director Information Manisha Sarin, and other senior officers of the concerned departments were present in the meeting.