Under the leadership of CM Shri Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi Government remains committed to strengthening and ensuring transparency in the Public Distribution System in Delhi. In pursuit of this aim, Shri Imran Hussain, the Minister of Food and Civil Supplies, chaired a meeting with the Commissioner (F&S) and other senior officers of the Food Supplies Department. The meeting was convened to review the distribution of free ration under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and to assess the establishment of vigilance committees at the Fair Price Shops (FPS) throughout the capital.
In this meeting, the Food Supplies Department informed Shri Imran Hussain that the distribution of ration under NFSA to ration beneficiaries for the month of June 2023 had already commenced from 1st June 2023. The officials stated that approximately Eighty-Five (85%) of the ration quota had already been distributed to the beneficiaries. It was further conveyed that the distribution of ration under NFSA for June 2023 would be provided free of cost to NFSA beneficiaries, including migrant beneficiaries, under the One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) Scheme.
The officials of the Food Supply Department further briefed Shri Hussain that the formation of the vigilance committee at the Fair Price Shops (FPS) level was nearly complete. Shri Hussain emphasised the crucial role of these committees in regulating the quality of food grains supplied and ensuring the timely delivery and distribution of ration at the FPS. Moreover, he stated, they are responsible for overseeing the inclusion and exclusion of beneficiaries’ names on the FPS list.
It is to be noted that at the FPS level, the committee’s primary function is to ensure compliance with the provisions of the Public Distribution System Control Order, the Central Act, and the State Act. They play a vital role in reporting any violations of the Food Security Act to the District Grievance Redressal Officer. Furthermore, the committee also maintains regular supervision over the implementation of various welfare schemes aimed at benefiting ration recipients.
Shri Imran Hussain directed the F&S Commissioner to ensure regular meetings of the vigilance committee and requested that the minutes of these meetings be made available to both the Circle Level Vigilance Committee and the Minister’s Office.
During the meeting, Shri Hussain said, “The Kejriwal Government is committed to providing free ration to all the beneficiaries in a time-bound manner, and the Department needs to push up their efforts to provide free ration regularly to the eligible beneficiaries in a transparent manner. The Kejriwal Government is committed to resolving public grievances related to the public distribution system in a timely and expeditious manner. I assure you that no beneficiaries will be deprived of getting free ration in Delhi.”
