Joda: The subsidised rice being provided under Antyodaya Yojana is allegedly being misappropriated in the Bolani panchayat of Joda block in Keonjhar district resulting in the people raising the issue with the Champua Sub-Collector here Tuesday.
In their complaint, they said that according to the old list, there were around 105 Antyodaya beneficiaries in the panchayat, but 137 more people were added as beneficiaries in the new list, and now the number of beneficiaries rose to 242.
Fourteen people who received subsidised rice from PDS, and they were added to Antyodaya Yojna. They alleged that a dealer was misappropriating 35 kg rice from each beneficiary every month.
The complainants pointed out that as per guidelines the new beneficiaries for Antyodaya are selected in the presence of the sarpanch, ward member and the panchayat executive officer, but the new list was prepared without the knowledge of these three.
As the matter came to the fore, the dealer reportedly seized the ration cards of the 14 beneficiaries and destroyed them to erase evidence.
“We have given details of those ration cards to the Sub-Collector,” said Murga Munda, Bishnu Khilar, Dhanurjay Apat, Samu Munda, Harekrushna Nayak, Umakant Apat, Nandini Apat, Rita Munda and Krusna Chandra Behera.
The villagers also took up the issue with the BDO and the Civil Supplies Officer and an investigation was ordered into the matter. However, Balani panchayat executive officer Srikant Palei said that he has no idea about the complaint.
PNN
