The Food and Civil Supply Minister Anil Deshmukh, keeping in mind that several families have not been covered in the present Below Poverty Line (BPL) list, has informed that a fresh survey of such families has been undertaken to include in BPL category and has appealed citizens to cooperate with the officials or workers who would visit their houses for the purpose.
Deshmukh was talking after inaugurating a Zonal Office in the North Constituency of Nagpur Assembly at Teka Naka Lal Godam on Kamptee Road in accordance with the decision of Maharashtra Government to create Constituency-wise Zonal Offices for the purpose of including fresh BPL families in the lists. Nitin Raut, the MLA from North Nagpur Constituency and Minister for Employment Guarantee Scheme in Maharashtra Governmnet, was prominently present on the occasion.
Anil Deshmukh further said, the computerization of ration cards has been undertaken from the past one and half year ago to bring transparency in Public Distribution System (PDS) or ration shops. At some places it has been completed and the process of checking them has been continuing and added once the computerization of ration cards is complete then the computerized cards would be distributed to the citizens. After completion of computerization, the information of food and civil supply stocks in the PDS could be known from the district information centres on the state-level, Deshmukh said. Similarly, by distribution of computerized ration cards, the PDS owners would not able to misuse the stocks as noticed previously, he added.
At present, there are 5 lakh ration card holders and the local committee is given information by SMSes on the sanctioned quota of food and civil supplies for a month. The Government has decided to launch food security scheme by which 80 per cent population in rural areas and 65 per cent population in urban area would derive benefits of the scheme, Deshmukh asserted and further added that through this scheme wheat would be sold at Rs 2 a kilo and the rice Rs 3 a kilo in the PDS. He also informed that 77 posts of food and civil supplies officers have already been filled up in Nagpur district.
Speaking on the occasion, Nitin Raut said, previously the North Assembly constituency was split two zones as far as ration cards were concerned thus causing enormous difficulties to the citizens. Now, after the Government decision to create constituency-wise zone, the citizens would be benefited greatly and they would find it easy to lift food and civil supplies from a PDS, Raut claimed. He further said that many schemes beneficial to North Constituency citizens would be launched soon. Pralhad Gajbhiye also delivered a speech on the occasion.
Jaiprakash Gupta, President of City Congress, R S Mavaskar, Deputy Commissioner (Supplies), Mahadeo Darade, North Zone Deputy Commissioner, Bansod, Food and Civil Supplies Officer, Krishnakumar Pande, Vasantrao Parshivnikar, Khushal Hedau, Kumar Ramteke, former Corporator from this area and others were present on the occasion.
