Stern action against those hoarding sugar, warns Karnataka Minister Rizwan Arshad
Karnataka Minister Rizwan Arshad warned of strict action against sugar hoarding and directed officials to conduct raids amid rising prices. He also ordered faster e-KYC completion, GPS installation in food-supply vehicles and warehouse CCTV. In Mysuru division, 88,424 people remain without e-KYC, while ration-shop digitisation is planned.
Mysuru: Minister for Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Rizwan Arshad warned of stern action against those hoarding sugar. “No ration card should be cancelled now. The e-KYC work should be expedited and a report should be submitted within 15 days,” he said.
Chairing a progress review meeting of the Mysuru division on Wednesday, Arshad directed officials to conduct raids to prevent the hoarding of essential food items.
Arshad said the Department of Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs distributes food and services to the poor. It should be efficient and serve society, he said.
“Officials of the Food and Civil Supplies and Legal Metrology departments should work in tandem to ensure that food meant for the poor under the public distribution system (PDS) does not end up in the black market,” he added.
“People are not aware of the work of the Legal Metrology department. Officers and staff should conduct frequent raids wherever there are complaints that consumers are being cheated while weighing products,” he said.
The price of sugar has increased suddenly. Officials should conduct inspections if there are complaints about hoarding. Besides, they should take legal action if LPG cylinders are stocked in excess, he stressed.
e-KYC
“In the eight districts of the Mysuru division, 88,424 people have not completed the e-KYC process. Officials should keep a note on this. The process might be pending due to migration, death, marriage or shifting to another place. Officials should review this, enter the details and send them to the head office. A decision will be taken there on cancelling the ration cards,” he said.
He took officials of Hassan district to task for achieving only 8.53 per cent in the e-KYC process.
The Minister said there are 371 vehicles in the eight districts under the Mysuru division, and GPS has been installed in 176 vehicles. “The remaining vehicles should be fitted with GPS within the next 15 days,” he told officials.
Sarala Naidu, Deputy Controller of Legal Metrology, and Manteswamy, Joint Director of Food, gave details about the functioning of their departments.
Earlier, interacting with journalists at a programme organised by MDJA, he said there are plans to revise the criteria for obtaining ration cards.
He said CCTV cameras will be installed at all warehouses of the department. “A control centre will be established, and everything will be managed from there. There are plans to install electronic point-of-sale machines and iris scanners at all fair-price shops. This will be implemented in Chikkaballapur and Chitradurga districts on a pilot basis,” he said.
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Source : Deccan Herald
