Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and Social Justice & Empowerment, BL Verma at the press conference in Chümoukedima on January 21.
Promises inquiry on PDS irregularity if provided with written complaint
Morung Express News
Chümoukedima | Dimapur
Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and Social Justice & Empowerment, BL Verma arrived in Nagaland on January 21 for a two-day official visit to Chümoukedima district. During his tour, he inspected ongoing infrastructure projects and assessed the implementation of central welfare schemes.
The Minister visited the Unity Mall construction site in Chümoukedima, an Anganwadi Center in Diphupar and the Centre for Disease Control and Cancer Treatment Centre at the Christian Institute of Health Sciences, which is under construction, and a Fair Price Shop in Chümoukedima. Following these site visits, he chaired a review meeting with the Deputy Commissioner and district Heads of Departments to evaluate the progress of central initiatives.
Addressing the media, Verma referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s designation of the eight northeastern states as “Ashtalakshmi.” He provided data regarding food security in Nagaland, noting that approximately 14 lakh beneficiaries currently receive free rations under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana and Antyodaya schemes. The central allocation to the state stands at approximately 11,000 metric tons of rice monthly.
Regarding the empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan), Verma stated that the ministry organised 31 distribution camps in Nagaland, serving 935 individuals. He noted the issuance of 3,884 UDID cards within the state and the establishment of a ‘Pradhan Mantri Divyasha Kendra’ in Dimapur to facilitate testing and distribution of aids without the need to wait for sporadic camps.
Responding to a query about alleged malpractices in Fair Price Shops, Verma cited the central government’s policy of “zero tolerance” toward corruption. He explained that Point of Sale (PoS) machines and electronic weighing scales were mandated to ensure beneficiaries receive 100 percent of their entitlement via biometric authentication. There have been multiple allegations of Fair Price Shops deducting one Kg of rice per family/individual from the entitled quota.
“Five kilos means five kilos; there should be no deduction,” Verma said. He stated that while he had not received formal complaints regarding this specific issue, he would order an investigation if provided with written details. He assured that action would be taken against ration dealers found engaging in theft.
The Minister also touched upon infrastructure developments, mentioning the increase in airports in the region and the expansion of rail connectivity to seven northeastern states since 2014. He reiterated that the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) continues to channel 10 percent of the budget from 54 central ministries to the region to accelerate development projects.
