Rice from millers for BPL category

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Jan. 2: The district controller of food and supplies, Mr Asim Basu, today said that the department would soon start procurement of rice from the millers in the district. It would be distributed to the people who live Below the Poverty Line (BPL) category through the public distribution system. The food and supplies department admitted that owing to the shortage of inspecting staff, the department is facing a lot of problems to monitor the rice mills once a week to claim a proportionate levy from the millers regularly. “Owing to a lack of adequate field staff, it is very difficult to inspect all the 16 rice mills in the district on a regular basis in order to know the amount of paddy the millers have with them. As a result of this, we could not achieve our target as far as rice procurement is concerned,” said Mr Asim Basu. According to DCFS, 38 field staff are presently working in the Malda office. “We need at least 15 more staff for field inspection on a regular basis according to the sanctioned posts here,” Mr Basu said. Mr Basu has admitted that the department has to face a shortage of rice supply for the Below Poverty line (BPL) category, because it fails to fulfil the target fixed by the government every year. Due to shortage of rice supply, the distribution of rice is often hampered. To make up for the shortage, the department collects rice from the Food Corporation of India (FCI) during periods of crisis. On the other hand, after the suspension of some of the modified ration dealers due to public outrage and complaints lodged by a group of people, the Malda food department is facing pressure from another group of villagers who are demanding that the suspended dealers should be taken on again. The district food officials suspect that politically motivated people lodged complaints against a few dealers demanding inquiry, but at present due to pressure from the opponent group, a section of villagers are demanding the opposite. A total of 30 dealers were suspended here due to public outrage last year.