The State Assembly on Thursday passed Expenditure Estimate of Rs 1,006,72,18,00 relating to the Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Department trough voice vote and Expenditure Esti-mates relating to 23 Departments through guillotine.
The Grants of FS and CW Department passed after a long debate participated by members belonging to both the opposition parties Congress and BJP and the ruling BJD.
Initiating discussion, Congress MlA K Surya Rao alleged that there have been massive irregularities in distribution of PDS items and procurement of paddy from farmers. He demanded that farmers be given farm kits during Makar and Pana Sankranti days as some southern States do during Pongal festival.
He too demanded that a Central Vigilance system be set up to receive complaints from farmers and PDS consumers. Besides he demanded that NFSA cardholders be provided identity cards.
BJD MlA Amar Prasad Satpathy said the PDS system needs to be more streamlined and further steps should be taken to ensure that all eligible people get NFSA cards.
In his reply, Minister Sanjay Kumar Dasburma ensured that all eligible persons would be covered under the NFSA and further steps would be taken to make the PDS system more transparent.
As per the schedule, the Appropriation Bill of the Annual Budget would be presented and passed on Friday.
