On the World Food Day today, members of J&K RTI Movement staged protests to demand transparency in public distribution system. The members assembled at Press Enclave here and used public address system to highlight their demands.
Raja Muzafar, chairman of the Movement alleged that the department of Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA) does not display rate list of foodgrains at its stores.
“While the department is taking action under law against shopkeepers not displaying rate list, it itself has failed to display rate list of foodgrains at its stores,” he said. He alleged that thousands of consumers are being cheated as government fixed rates are not adhered to by ration depots.
“Most of the consumers are complaining of exorbitant rates charged by FCS&CA storekeepers. Displaying rate lists at these depots would encourage people pay only government fixed prices,” he said.
Bhat also raise the questions over the inordinate delay in implementation of electronic mode of payment by department.
He said in 2017-18 the department procured electronic point of sale (ePoS) machines for all government run ration depots across J&K. “But till date they have not been installed. There are few cases where PoS have been made functional but customers are not being given transaction receipt,” he said.
“Jammu & Kashmir RTI Movement has been constantly apprising the government about the mismanagement and corrupt practices of the employees in FCS&A department. The administrative department took some steps like constituting an inquiry committee, penalizing some officials, suspending a few as well, but a lot more needs to be done,” he said.