PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
Berhampur, Nov 6: With people across the state protesting irregularities in selection of beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act, the state government
Friday said if required, it would rectify the list of beneficiaries in the next three months.“We have set up digitalised ration card management system cell in every block and municipalities and NACs. If any eligible person’s name is not in the list, we will provide the ration card to the person within three months of applying at free of cost,” food supplies and consumer welfare minister Sanjay Das Burma said here.
Stating that a massive exercise for selection of the new beneficiaries to get the ration cards was held after 18 years across the state, Das Burma said there might be some error in selection of the eligible people.
“People should not worry as the government will include all eligible persons under NFSA,” he said.The minister was here to attend the collectors’ conference of the southern Orissa districts on paddy procurement.
The Central government has allotted for inclusion of 3,26,41,000 beneficiaries under NFSA in the state for which distribution of digitalised ration cards was going on.
The second phase card holders of NFSA will get the essentials from December 1, while the beneficiaries of first phase living in 14 districts have been availing rations from November 1, officials said.
While the minister was at the collectors’ conference at the office of the revenue divisional commissioner, southern range here, Congress supporters staged demonstration outside the office raising anti-government slogans.
The party demanded provision of ration cards to all beneficiaries and declaration of the entire state as drought-affected.Led by former union minister and senior Congress leader Chandra Sekhar Sahu, they handed over a memorandum to RDC (Southern Division) Sanjay Singh. PTI
