 Early Times Report
JAMMU, Aug 17: Bharat Bhushan Bodhi, Chairman of the District Development Council (DDC) Jammu, led a comprehensive review meeting of the District Level Vigilance Committee of the Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA) Department in Jammu. The meeting took place at the PWD Guest House and focused on enhancing the effectiveness of Fair Price Shops and streamlining the process of ration card management.
The meeting was attended by various members including Dharminder Kumar, Councillor of DDC Bishnah; Shameem Begum, DDC Dansal; Additional District Development Commissioner, Jammu; Assistant Directors of FCS&CA, Jammu Rural-I and Jammu City-II; Tehsil Supply Officers; Area Inspectors; representatives from various organizations; and other concerned officials.
The session commenced with a presentation by the Assistant Director of FCS&CA, Jammu Rural-I, detailing the Department's activities and measures taken to ensure transparency and accountability in the allocation, lifting, and distribution of food grains to beneficiaries.
Subsequently, the reports of Social Audits from Vigilance Committees at Block and Urban Local Body levels were presented for review.
Chairman Bharat Bhushan emphasized the importance of curtailing the complaints of misbehavior by certain ration dealers towards consumers. He stressed cordial behavior by Fair Price Shop Dealers and adherence to the opening and closing timings of the shops to prevent inconvenience to the public.
Instances of Fair Price Shop Dealers not providing ration after biometric authentication and failing to issue transaction receipts to beneficiaries were also addressed during the meeting.
To address these issues, the Committee recommended regular inspections of Fair Price Shops, imposition of fines or penalties as applicable, and ensuring that all beneficiaries receive their rations after authentication along with proper transaction receipts.
Bharat Bhushan also highlighted the need to streamline the process of ration card segregation and issuance of new ration cards. He suggested the addition of children born after 2011 under the 'Not entitled for Ration Category', as ration cards serve as identity proof for various departments.
Furthermore, the Chairman urged the administration to replace older ration dealers with younger ones to modernize the ration supply system in Jammu and Kashmir. He deemed the practice of granting dealership licenses to the legal heirs of deceased dealers unacceptable, as it perpetuates dynastic control over the FCS&CA Department.
The Committee also recommended the rationalization of existing Fair Price Shops, as many dealers manage more than one shop, leading to inconvenience for the public and the dealers themselves. To address awareness gaps among beneficiaries regarding commodity scales and departmental schemes, the Committee suggested that Tehsil Supply Officers and Area Inspectors organize awareness camps at least once a month. |
