A Staff Reporter
DIMAPUR, APRIL 15
Apparently, the federal setup of the Indian Union is preventing the central government from acting on the reports of financial misappropriation in the state Food and Supplies department, which according to the recent CAG report is upwards Rs 400 crores.
This was the explanation provided by the Union Minister of Food and Public Distribution, Ram Vilas Paswan here on Friday at a news conference when reporters informed him of the CAG findings. “In the federal structure, there are some limitations. The central government has no jurisdiction to act on (the reports of corruption in the state) PDS.”
He however stated that his ministry would take note of the reports and devise ways to ensure that any loopholes in the system are plugged. The Union Minister was speaking to the local media right after a “review meeting” with officials from Food Corporation of India, Nagaland region.
Paswan said that Nagaland is now the only state, “out of the total 36 (29 states and 7 union territories) in the country”, where the Food Security Act has not been implemented. He informed that Kerala and Tamil Nadu have already recently implemented the Act but have yet to announce it because of the forthcoming elections.
According to Paswan, he had called the chief minister of Nagaland, TR Zeliang last week to request him to implement the Food Security Act in the state. “He assured that the Act will be implemented very soon,” the minister informed.
The central government, he said, has allotted a Rs 10 crore package for the implementation of the Act in Nagaland, out of which Rs 5.53 crores have been sanctioned already. The full amount would be disbursed when the state government could pitch in its mandatory 10% share, he added. “I request the Nagaland government to fulfill the criteria.”
According to the minister, once the FSA is achieved in Nagaland the annual total allocation of foodgrains would raise to one lakh thirty eight thousand metric tonnes from the current amount of one lakh twenty seven thousand six hundred and sixty-eight metric tonnes.
The state government, he added, would also benefit from availing 75% of the transport cost from the central government, once the Act is implemented. “It (FSA) will cover 79.83% of the people in rural area and in the urban area another 61.98% of the people.”
Paswan also announced that a 5,000 ton capacity storage facility would be completed at Kohima by September next, making it the second FCI district in Nagaland after Dimapur.
Deepak Kumar, the joint secretary in the Union ministry of Food and Public Distribution, also announced that the ministry has introduced a toll free number (1976) on which the people of Nagaland can call to register their grievances.
He asserted that the ministry concerned would be doing everything to “plug loopholes” in the system. One such steps, he said, was the proposed computerization of the entire PDS system. This involves “digitalization, online allocation, supply chain management and grievances redress mechanism”, that would help the ministry keep track of the supplies through the internet, he explained.
Kumar said that the Nagaland government is yet to introduce this model. He also said that the Nagaland government, “for some years”, have not claimed its share of money under the Hill Transport Subsidy scheme.
“The HTS Scheme is meant for the States/UTs, which are predominantly hilly with little or no railways and poor road communications. In such States/UTs the Food Corporation of India (FCI) is required to open godowns at Principal Distribution Centres (PDCs) wherever possible, or reimburse the State Governments/UTs the cost of transportation of foodgrains, on actual basis, for lifting of foodgrains from base depots of FCI to the designated PDCs,” according to the ministry website.
Availing this provision of the scheme would help lessen the burden of the state government, Kumar reasoned.
The Nagaland unit of the BJP held a meeting with Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Ram Vilas Paswan, at Police Guest House, Chumukedima and apprised him of the difficulties and state of affairs in respect of the food and PDS sector in the state.
According to a press release of the BJP, its state unit president Visasolie Lhoungu highlighted the plight faced by the people specially at the remote corners where accessibility is a huge problem and the main reasons for the ineffectual and timely delivery of the PDS supplies. Electricity and road connectivity as well as poor telecommunications were the main hurdles for delivering the PDS benefits. The necessity of district FCI godowns was also highlighted. A representation in this connection was submitted by the state BJP, the press note of the party said.
According to the press statement, lauding the “commendable works” done by the NDA government under Prime Minister Narendra Modiji, Ram Vilas Paswanji said, while the rest of the country had effectually implemented the revamped PDS system, the state was the other two to be lagging behind in this sector, leading him to tour the state. “He revealed that the Chief Minister has assured to bring into effect the reduced rate of rice and wheat under both the Antodhya and BPL scheme from June 1 in DImapur and Kohima and from July 1 in the rest of the state. On the infrastructural aspect particularly road conditions and district godowns, Ram Vilas Paswan assured that he shall be looking into them as well,” the press statement of the BJP, Nagland unit added.
