SHILLONG, Aug 28: A village in Mawkyrwat Assembly constituency has been deprived of the public distribution system (PDS) entitlement for the past 13 years due to a data entry error, UDP MLA Renikton L Tongkhar informed the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly on Wednesday.
During a call attention motion, Tongkhar highlighted the plight of Domtynrong village, where 50 households have been excluded from receiving foodgrains and other government schemes due to missing names in the 2011 census data. “I intervened as soon as I was elected as an MLA during my first term, but I couldn’t resolve the issue because the villagers’ names were missing in the census data. As a result, this village is still not receiving PDS rice,” Tongkhar stated.
He also drew attention to the struggles of another village, Mawthawiang Nongtraw, which despite being recognised as a full-fledged village for 23 years, has not benefited from any developmental schemes or projects. (Contd on P-4)
Data error robs Mawkyrwat village…
(Contd from P-3) The villagers have been forced to enroll as job card holders in another village to gain employment. “Although people are finding employment by enrolling elsewhere, Mawthawiang Nongtraw has not received any development projects, such as footpaths or roads,” Tongkhar added.
The MLA suggested that the Chief Minister introduce a programme similar to the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) to assist villages that have been left out. He proposed naming the programme “CMAY”, which would help the 90% of households in these villages that are poor and in need of housing support.
In response, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Comingone Ymbon acknowledged the issue, and informed the Assembly that the department has been in continuous dialogue with the Centre to request an increase in NFSA coverage for the state. Ymbon highlighted the need to revise the coverage limits due to significant population growth and outdated data from the Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011.
“The Government of India has indicated that changes will only be considered after the next census. However, we are exploring interim measures to address the immediate needs of the left-out villages,” Ymbon said.
The minister also noted that the department is working to rectify data discrepancies and improve the technological infrastructure supporting the NFSA. This includes correcting spelling errors, eliminating duplicate entries, and updating the database to reflect changes in residential addresses.
“We are committed to addressing this issue and ensuring that the residents of these villages receive their entitlements. We will continue to engage with the Government of India to seek an increase in NFSA coverage and advocate for the inclusion of all eligible beneficiaries in our state,” Ymbon assured.
The minister reiterated the government’s commitment to ensuring food security for all citizens of Meghalaya, emphasising that the NFSA is a critical tool in achieving this goal.
