Provide quality rice through fair price shops: GFP to chief secretary
Panaji: Goa Forward Party (GFP) has written to chief secretary Puneet Kumar Goel asking him to take urgent action into the distribution of substandard rice through fair price shops in Goa. GFP general secretary Durgadas Kamat said that it is
“distressing” to see that rice infested with maggots, mites and fungus is being distributed to ration cardholders in Goa.
“It is the responsibility of the government to ensure that the rice supplied through fair price shops is of the highest quality, fit for consumption, and free from any infestations,” said Kamat. “The health and well-being of the citizens must be the foremost priority and any compromise in this regard is unacceptable.”
The party has demanded that the civil supplies department must replace the substandard rice with fresh stock followed by a comprehensive investigation into the entire distribution process, right from procurement to delivery to the ration card holders. GFP has also demanded pending payments under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana to be released to the fair price shops.
The party has also sought better monitoring and transparency into the functioning of the civil supplies department, including periodic inspections of the godowns by the Food and Drugs Administration.
“The allegations made by Fair Price Shop Owners Association president Gandhi Henriques highlight a much deeper problem. They have raised valid concerns regarding the financial burden they bear in transporting the substandard rice back to the godown and the absence of payments under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana for the free distribution of food grains. These hardships, coupled with the operational challenges introduced by the POS machines, have pushed many fair price shops to the brink of closure, said Kamat.
The responsible officials must be held accountable for their negligence and appropriate disciplinary action should be taken against them.
