Demand for action against corruption in PDS system

 

COOCH BEHAR, Nov. 30: Seizure of huge quantity of unaccounted foodgrains from two godowns and four trucks in Tufanganj on Wednesday offered an opportunity to the opposition parties to come down heavily on the corrupt practice in the public distribution system. On the otherhand, the police are seeking two godown owners and five others engaged in transporting the foodgrains but no one was arrested till today.

 

Submitting a memorandum to the district magistrate today, the Trinamul Congress demanded stern action against the persons involved in the racket. Cooch Behar District Trinamul Congress president Mr Rabindra Nath Ghosh said the corruption in the public distribution system created unrest among the common people. He alleged that the number of ghost ration cards in this district is much more than the number of actual cardholders. In association with a section of government officials the modified ration dealers are engaged in selling off huge quantity of essential commodities in clandestine market for a long. Their practice of corruption is affecting the poor people. The MR dealers deprived the Above Poverty Line (APL) cardholders too from receiving rice and wheat for many years. Mr Ghosh demanded CBI inquiry into the matter.

 

Mr Ghosh alleged that foodgrains meant for different schemes including Midday Meal, Annapurna Antyodaya Yojana and Below Poverty Line (BPL) cardholders are being sold in black-market. It became a regular practice in this district. He demanded immediate legal action against the corrupt people engaged with the PDS system. Referring the seizure of huge quantity of foodgrains from Tufanganj on Wednesday Mr Ghosh demanded exemplary punishment of the persons involved with the crime.

 

The BJP too came down heavily on the corrupt practice in the PDS system. The district unit president of BJP Mr Nityananda Munsi alleged that the owners of the two godowns in Tufanganj are CPI-M sheltered men. Submitting a memorandum to the district magistrate he demanded immediate arrest of the persons involved in the scam and a thorough CID inquiry into the matter. He recalled that in past no action was taken against anyone involved in stealing of huge quantity of rice meant for midday meal scheme.

 

Following the lodging of FIR against seven persons involved in foodgrain scam in Tufanganj, the District Youth Congress president Mr Avijit De Bhaumik said they will discuss the course of movement against corruption in public distribution system on 8 December in a meeting in presence of Union minister Mr Priya Ranjan Das Munsi and state YC president Mr Amitava Chakraborty in Cooch Behar. []     

 

BSF Raising Day

 

COOCH BEHAR, Nov. 30: Border Security Force will observe its 43rd Raising Day tomorrow. The day will be celebrated with fervour and honour by jawans of all battalions of the BSF in Cooch Behar Sector area. Prior to that a blood donation camp was organised today at Gopalpur camp in association with MJN Hospital Blood Bank. DIG-BSF (Cooch Behar Sector) Mr PJ Rao inaugurated the camp and donated blood. Total sixty-six persons donated blood at the camp.

 

Mr Rao said the BSF was raised on 1 December in 1965. Since then Raising Day is being celebrated on 1 December every year. Different BSF battalions are organising free medical camps, civic action programmes like Shramdan in rural areas on the occasion of Raising Day since 28 November in Cooch Behar, the DIG-BSF said. []