CRO East Kameng unit alleges gross anomalies in distribution of PDS items


| Staff REPORTER |
ITANAGAR, Jun 29: The East Kameng district unit of Consumer Rights Organization (CRO) has alleged gross anomalies in the distribution of PDS items in the district.
Addressing a press conference at Arunachal Press Club here today, the CRO East Kameng unit president Beku Dolo claimed that the fair price shop (FPS) owners in the district are selling rice at exorbitant rates in the black market, depriving the real beneficiaries.
“While each beneficiary is allotted a monthly quota of 35 kg rice @ Rs 3 per kg, most of the monthly quota of rice is sold to non beneficiaries at Rs 50 per kg.
A 50 kg sack of rice is sold in the black market @ Rs 1200-1300 and sometimes Rs 1500,” he alleged, adding that most of the FPS dealers keep the ration cards with themselves and do not give it to the cardholders.
Speaking about distribution of SK oil, Dolo said that the entire 42,000 kilo litre allotted for the district on monthly basis is being siphoned off completely without distributing to the beneficiaries.
“The government-fixed the price of SKO @ Rs 18.36 per litre is being sold @ Rs 100 per litre in the black market,” he claimed, adding that there is no monitoring of such malpractices by the government.
The Organization in this regard has submitted a representation to the East Kameng DC, suggesting few steps to ensure proper distribution of the PDS goods to the beneficiaries. Its suggestions included: strictly directing all FPS dealers for proper and regular disbursement of food grains to bonafide consumers as per entitlement and not to retain the beneficiaries’ ration cards after distribution of food grains, formation of vigilance committee in district and block level to ensure transparency and proper functioning of the FPSs, conduct of social audit (under section 14 of APFSA 2015) and strict vigilance on kerosene supply as per Arunachal Pradesh Kerosene (Licensing and Distribution) Control Order 2005.
“If these suggestions are implemented effectively, malpractices can be checked to a great extent,” Dolo opined.