Delhi praises Bengal’s food distribution system
Allegations of corruption in the rationing system are rife in state politics. Former Food Minister Jyotipriya Mallick has been arrested by the ED.
Meanwhile, the Union Food Ministry’s open letter of appreciation on the role of the Bengal Food Department in the ration distribution system has come to light. The ministry has given a clean chit to the state’s rationing system.
The initiative by the state to digitise all ration cards to streamline the delivery process has come in for a lot of praise.
Another aspect that has been appreciated is the state’s initiative to ensure the timely updating of information regarding the ration delivered in a month, the stock left, etc. on the ministry’s ‘Annavitran’ portal. Any gap in the information provided would result in the non-release of the next month’s quota. The letter mentions the West Bengal Food Department’s tireless efforts in providing accurate information every month.
The letter comes at a time when the state Opposition, including the BJP, is pointing fingers at the Food Department for alleged corruption in the distribution of ration items. On Monday, Congress and CPI(M) protested in front of Khadya Bhavan in Kolkata, demanding the resignation of the current Food Minister Rathin Ghosh.
The letter of commendation has put the Opposition, including the BJP, on the back foot.
Notably, Minister Rathin Ghosh went to a conference in Delhi a few months ago where Union Food Minister Piyush Goyal was also present. There, Goyal verbally praised the state’s rationing processes. And now comes this letter of appreciation.
The Centre has been monitoring the country’s ration delivery system since May. Every three months, states need to upload reports on the above-mentioned portal.
Rathin Ghosh has said that 97 per cent of the ration customers in Bengal have updated KYC. He has also said that over a period of time, the whole ration distribution system in the state has been comprehensively reformed and that world is going on to make the system “100 per cent accurate”.
