Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 19: Large number of people and the Congress activists today held a protest demonstration against the shortage of ration in Jammu City and its outskirts outside the office of CAPD Director at Trikuta Nagar Extension here today.
The protesters, led by former minister and senior Congress leader Raman Bhalla and DCC Jammu (U) president Anil Chopra were shouting slogans against PDP-BJP Government and the CAPD and concerned ministers. They alleged that Government has failed to provide ration to the public.
Speaking on the occasion, Bhalla said that ration scarcity in Jammu for the past six months has exposed the tall claims of the PDP-BJP Government’s promise to curb irregularities in the distribution system. The shortage is forcing people to buy food grains from the thriving black market. Despite announcements of ambitious schemes to deal with the scarcity of flour, rice and sugar, the ruling coalition has failed to make much progress in streamlining the system and subsidised ration meant for Below Poverty Line (BPL) families rarely reaches them.
He alleged that there has been total mismanagement in ration distribution, which has created ”artificial scarcity’ of food grains. Though the Consumers Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD) Department has made a provision for distribution of ration through the National Food Security Act (NFSA) to consumers under various categories, even two years later the department has failed to make a clear distinction among beneficiaries. In the two categories, labelled “inclusion” and “exclusion” under the NFSA, persons belonging to the upper higher income groups have been kept out from getting the ration benefits. As per the Government order (No. 128-CAPD), one of the categories of all Gazetted officers or equivalent ranks in corporations, boards and PSUs whose income exceeds Rs 50,000 per month can’t be beneficiaries of the NFSA category.
Bhalla further alleged that across Jammu, consumers are not getting monthly ration and whatever is supplied is inadequate to meet their requirements. With the State Government increasing rates – Rs 8 to Rs 13 for flour per kg and Rs 10 to Rs 15 for rice per kg – the problems of people have only increased. “Consumers are forced to buy ration from open market shops run under the PDS. There is acute shortage of sugar and wheat in Jammu,” Bhalla said.
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