Times of India: Gandhinagar: Friday, 7 June 2024.
The Gujarat State Food Commission, which has been set up to ensure that all beneficiaries of the public distribution system get their share of grains and other items, has received 2,960 complaints since its inception in March 2017.
Meanwhile, the association of fair price shops in the state has alleged that unscrupulous elements have been misusing the provisions of Right to Information (RTI) Act to extort money from shopkeepers.
A report of the Gujarat State Food Commission which was tabled in the budget session of the state assembly earlier this year said that a majority of the complaints received were regarding inadequate quantity and inferior quality of grains provided by fair price shops, erratic timings of fair price shops, system-generated receipts not being provided to beneficiaries and manipulation of grain stocks from godowns.
“When complaints are filed against shopkeepers, they are summoned by govt authorities. However, many unscrupulous people have been misusing the RTI Act provisions to extort money from shopkeepers.
This has been brought to the
notice of the authorities,” said Prahlad Modi, president of the Gujarat Fair
Price Shops Owners and Kerosene License Holder Association.
The National Food Security Act 2013 mandates that no beneficiary of the state is deprived of the food grains available to them from fair price shops. The Gujarat State Food Commission was formed in March 2017 to monitor and review the public supply system and ensure that the food available from mid-day meal and anganwadi centres is according to the prescribed menu and of good quality.
The resident additional collector of each district has been appointed as the district grievance redressal officer to resolve complaints related to availability of grains from fair price shops.
A Class I officer from every district panchayat has been appointed as the district grievance redressal officer for food related complaints from mid-day meal centres and anganwadis. If consumers are not satisfied with the decision of the district grievance redressal officer, an appeal can be made to the Gujarat State Food Commission.
The Gujarat State Food Commission, which has been set up to ensure that all beneficiaries of the public distribution system get their share of grains and other items, has received 2,960 complaints since its inception in March 2017.
Meanwhile, the association of fair price shops in the state has alleged that unscrupulous elements have been misusing the provisions of Right to Information (RTI) Act to extort money from shopkeepers.
A report of the Gujarat State Food Commission which was tabled in the budget session of the state assembly earlier this year said that a majority of the complaints received were regarding inadequate quantity and inferior quality of grains provided by fair price shops, erratic timings of fair price shops, system-generated receipts not being provided to beneficiaries and manipulation of grain stocks from godowns.
“When complaints are filed against shopkeepers, they are summoned by govt authorities. However, many unscrupulous people have been misusing the RTI Act provisions to extort money from shopkeepers.
The National Food Security Act 2013 mandates that no beneficiary of the state is deprived of the food grains available to them from fair price shops. The Gujarat State Food Commission was formed in March 2017 to monitor and review the public supply system and ensure that the food available from mid-day meal and anganwadi centres is according to the prescribed menu and of good quality.
The resident additional collector of each district has been appointed as the district grievance redressal officer to resolve complaints related to availability of grains from fair price shops.
A Class I officer from every district panchayat has been appointed as the district grievance redressal officer for food related complaints from mid-day meal centres and anganwadis. If consumers are not satisfied with the decision of the district grievance redressal officer, an appeal can be made to the Gujarat State Food Commission.
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