Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD) Department has again failed to provide normal quota of ration to the people in both APL and BPL categories. In justification of sudden acute shortage of supply of essential commodities, rice, atta and sugar for public consumption to the depot holders both in urban and rural areas, the plea advanced is non-release of funds by the Finance Department. Ordinary people are the sufferers. March is almost gone and yet the supply situation has not improved across the State. We are not giving the statistics about what are the requirements and what is the supply position in each district of Jammu region and also in Kashmir region. These figures are disclosed by the department concerned. The point is that the Minister for CAPD admits that this is not the first occasion when owing to non availability of funds the department could not lift food grains from the stores of FCI and hence this has resulted in a mess.
Late release of funds is the patent pretext to legitimise delay, in efficiency and non-seriousness of the departments concerned in providing food grains to people without interruption. The Department says that delays have always been happening during March and April each year. If it is so, why did not the Department take adequate steps to remove the lacuna? Why should the consumers suffer year after year and face the trauma of non availability of food grains? We remember that during the pre-independence period, Food Supplies Department was considered among the most efficient and honest departments of the civil administration in the State. It has lost its thrust, efficiency and vision. There are other reasons also which account for FCI not allowing on account supplies to the State. A huge amount is still outstanding against the State in the books of Food Corporation of India. It is for the failure of the CAPD to clear the balance payment which has forced the FCI to refuse giving food stuff to the department on credit. Nearly a hundred crore rupees are still outstanding with the Department. The CAPD should set up an enquiry committee to examine why huge amount is still unpaid?
As far as the delay caused by the Finance Department in releasing the funds to CAPD is concerned, this matter should have been resolved by the secretaries of the two organizations at their official level. On the face of it, there should not have been any sound reason for infighting within the departments. In a democratic set up, understanding has to be developed especially in very sensitive matters that pertain to the interests of general public. It is something only short of a miracle that there has not been any mass protest against the fragile position of civil supplies in all the three regions of the State. From what we learn of the ground situation, hardly 35 per cent of supplies have been made and the condition of most of the districts especially those of Poonch, Rajouri, Udhampur, Doda, Kishtwar and Kathua and some in Kashmir region is almost critical. Officials have conceded that against the full quota of 57000 qtl APL rice quota in Jammu province, just 19000 qtl was made available in March. Again against 42000 qtl rice quota of BPL category, just 28000 qtl was released and for AAY category just 12000 qtl out of 19000 qtl was provided. According to our information, the situation is not likely to ease much in April as well.
As already said there is no serious reason for delaying release of funds enabling the CAPD lift food grains in time. But there is non-seriousness and lack of vision at various levels. There is no complaint of shortage of funds; there is the complaint of release of funds at proper time. That is simply administrative matter and should be resolved in advance. Also there is the need of planning. FCI must have reasons to stop allowing lifting of food grains on credit, something from which it has deviated now. Those reasons should be probed into and a solution found. Intervention of contractors has to be regulated in a manner that monopolisation of grinding the wheat into flour is put an end to. There are so many loopholes and bottlenecks in the system, which need to be removed.
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