Times of India: New Delhi: Sunday, September 10, 2017.
The National
Food Security Act came into effect in 2013 but Delhi government is still
working on setting up a full-fledged State Food Commission as required under
that Act to deal with grievances related to the Public Distribution System. The
Public Grievances Commission has been notified to hear grievances in its stead,
but is learnt to have made it clear to the food and civil supplies department
that it lacks the resources in terms of personnel and members to take up the
additional burden, working as it is at half strength with a chairman and a
part-time member.
According to
the food and civil supplies department, the file for setting up the food panel,
under process, is now being expedited in view of the Supreme Court's direction
in August that the grievance redress mechanism under the NFS Act must be an
actual, effective body. Besides the chairman and members, the department is
also making provisions for 45 staff member to running the commission.
The delay has
been criticised in many quarters. Based on RTI replies from the government,
Delhi Rozi Roti Adhikar Abhiyan and Satark Nagrik Sangathan had earlier
released a report that said, "Despite the passage of three years since the
NFS Act was implemented in Delhi, information that the Public Grievances
Commission has been designated as the State Food Commission is not displayed on
the website of PGC or at the PGC office."
The report
pointed out that in March 2017, the research team was telephonically informed
by PGC that it was not functioning as SFC and was not receiving appeals under
the NFS Act. "The lack of a functional SFC means that ration cardholders
who are unable to get their complaints redressed have no forum to appeal to.
Also the critical functions of monitoring and review of the implementation of
NFS Act entrusted to SFC under the law are not being performed," the
report highlighted.
When
contacted, officials of the food and civil supplies department claimed to have
publicised PGC's additional role as SFC by putting up a prominent board stating
the fact outside the PGC office and by giving the PGC chairman's office
additional administration staff to handle appeals related to ration
distribution. However, they said, in view of the Supreme Court's wishes, the
setting up of a full commission is under way.
PGC chairman
PK Tripathi told TOI that he had no problem filling in as food commissioner but
would need the help of panel members and other staff. "PGC is itself
working with just the chairman and a part-time member, with one full member and
another part timer not appointed," he said. "Besides, we are also
holding charge of Police Complaints Authority." Tripathi asserted that no
appeals had so far come from the district grievance redressal officers, who, in
Delhi's case, are the additional district magistrates.
Anjali
Bhardwaj of Satark Nagrik Sangathan, however, testified that though Delhi
government notified the designation of additional district magistrates as
district food grievances officers more than three years ago, visits to ADM
offices during the Sangathan's assessment revealed no information indicating
this fact. The food and civil supplies department said measures had since been
taken to strengthen the grievance redressal system at the ADM level.
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