Ration for poor families stolen in West Singhbhum -Animesh Bisoee

-The Telegraph

Issue came to light during a public hearing organised by Khadya Suraksha Jan Adhikar Manch, an outfit espousing cause of right to food

Jamshedpur: Ration meant for poor families under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand has been stolen.

The issue came to light during a public hearing organised by Khadya Suraksha Jan Adhikar Manch, an outfit espousing the cause of right to food, at Kainuwa village in Tonto block on Monday.

During the six-hours hearing, it was found that almost half of the regular ration distributed from the public distribution system (PDS) shops has been stolen by the dealers who have been denying villagers of their enshrined right to food for the last several months.

 “We have been conducting such public hearings in other parts of Jharkhand too, but it is the largest loot of food grains meant for the poor by the dealers, obviously in nexus with the officials. We will be sharing findings of the public hearings with food and civil supplies minister Rameshwar Oraon, principal secretary Himani Pande and West Singhbhum deputy commissioner Ananya Mittal,” said Siraj Dutta a key member of the Manch.

Under the NFSA, beneficiaries are entitled to 5kg of foodgrains per person and 5kg of food grains under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY).

 Dutta said that the two main issues raised by the villagers during the hearing were ration dealers not giving food grains even after taking their biometrics in the E-POS machines and even if they are giving, it is much less than specified amount.

“Beneficiaries of Kainuwa village informed that in September 2021 and December 2021, they have not been given ration neither under the NFSA or the PMGKAY by the ration dealer Dumbi Banra despite taking their thumb punching on the E-POS machine. While the online report in the dashboard shows that the beneficiaries have been given a full quota of ration. No action has been taken despite several complaints to the officials,” said Dutta.

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