Morung Express News
Dimapur | July 29
The controversy and allegation of pilferage notwithstanding, an apparently unfazed Food & Civil Supplies (F&CS) department is all geared up to roll to out a new look Public Distribution System (PDS).
The Superintendent of F&CS, Dimapur district, N. Jamonger Ao during an interaction with the media on July 29 informed that the department will begin food grains distribution in the district from July 30. The Nagaland state government implemented the National Food Security Act (NFSA) only in June this year, nearly three years since the Central government launched the food security programme in 2013.
The Superintendent stated though the department has been painted in a poor light, it is working towards sensitizing the citizens on the features of the NFSA. According to him, a large section of the society is unaware of the tenets of the NFSA, which has in part resulted in many a legitimate beneficiary missing out on the entitlement.
Stating that a revamped PDS will leave little room for anomalies, he said that it would further make way for streamlining the system while ensuring transparency.
Informing that distribution to Priority Households (PHH) in the rural areas of the district will begin from July 30, he added that distribution in the urban sector will begin next phase and asked the village councils to collect the allotted quotas through the office of the Superintendent.
Further informing that issuing of PHH ration cards for the urban areas will begin from August 3, he asked the respective GBs and colony council chairpersons to collect the beneficiary cards.
Beneficiaries covered under the AAY scheme are entitled to receive 35 kg of rice at Rs. 3 per kg per cardholder every month. Each member of a family designated under PHH is entitled 5 kg of rice at Rs. 3 per month. As per the superintendent, more than 60,000 have been registered as beneficiaries in the district.
