Itanagar: The Arunachal Pradesh government is overhauling its redressal mechanism for the implementation of the National Food Security Act (NFSA), under which every district would have a grievance redressal officer to hear the grievances of the consumers, state Food and Civil Supplies Minister Kamlung Mosang said.
“The state government is also considering establishing a state food commission as provided under the act,” the minister said.
The mimister was addressing the Conference of Food Ministers & Secretaries on Implementation of NFSA at New Delhi on Wednesday, official sources said here on Thursday.
“Presently, we have vigilance committees at state, district, block, circle and fair price shops (FPSs) levels. In order to make them more effective, it is proposed to give incentives to the non-official members – mostly PR members,” he said.
Computerization of public distribution system (PDS), he said, was in progress to ensure transparent recording of transactions at all levels.
The Arun-ePDS, a state project, with centres in 18 different locations, was launched by Chief Minister Nabam Tuki on April 12, 2013.
However, the project, funded solely by the state government under Special Plan Assistance (SPA) 2010-11, was facing grim financial difficulties, Mosang said.
“In order to keep the momentum of the project towards completion, adequate funding from the Centre is urgently needed now,” he said.
Food and Civil Supplies minister Kamlung Mosang emphasized that the inter-state transportation charges along with the FPS dealers’ and wholesalers’ margins should be paid directly to the state government and that the procedures for funding should be modified for effective implementation of the NFSA.
Presently, the transportation subsidy payments are being routed through the FCI.
Mosang also advocated raising the state’s allocation of foodgrains and raising the quota of 5 kg foodgrain per person to 8 kg of the grains per person.
He said the state government was not in a position to pay the food security allowance owing to resource constraints, and requested that the necessary funds be parked with the state government in advance to enable it to pay the beneficiaries as and when required, the sources said. (PTI)
