Energetic, fond of combating challenges and impediments, Ranendra Pratap Swain never wavered to enter into electoral battle with the boldest veterans and formidable adversaries during his stubborn political career. He opened his innings to the State Assembly from the Athgarh constituency in 1990 on a Janata Dal ticket and was re-elected from there in 1995 and 2000 as a Biju Janata Dal nominee. He was for the fourth time in 2004 on a BJD ticket. He succeeded in the acid test of the bye-election in 2012 and staged a further come back to the Assembly in 2014 on the same BJD bandwagon and then was elected consecutively in 2019. In fact, he has turned Athagarh into an invincible citadel for the BJD. He was Minister of State (Independent), Science and Technology, Minister of State (Independent), Sports & Youth Services and Minister of State (Independent), Housing from 2000 to 2004. Currently, he is the Cabinet Minister, Food Supplies & Consumer Welfare. He is actively involved in trade union movement and cooperative movement. Besides, he is president of the Odisha Football Association and was president of the Orissa Cricket Association 1990-94. He is also a member of the Orissa Olympic Association and Archery Association. In an interview to The Pioneer, Swain spoke to Sugyan Choudhury at his Secretariat office.
How did you enter into public life?
At the outset, you have made me nostalgic. I was deeply inspired by legendary patriot and statesman Biju Patnaik. Very few know that there was a delicate thread of familial friendship between Bijubabu’s younger brother Siju Patnaik (late Jayananda Patnaik) and my late father Captain Upendra Swain, both of whom took part in the Second World War in Burma. Once when I had accompanied my father to meet Bijubabu at his residence, on seeing me, Bijubabu broke with a stentorian and said, “Upendra, you must get your son admitted to the Sainik School.” In fact, I was admitted into the Sainik School at his behest leaving behind the Ravenshaw Collegiate School. Later on, in my student career when I joined politics, I became part of the JP movement at Bijubabu’s command. The memories of Bijubabu’s charismatic leadership and JP’s Total Revolution have deeply ingrained the spirit of democratic principles of secularism and socialism in my psyche.
How far has your department been able to provide food security to the poor?
The Food Supplies & Consumer Welfare Department has been providing food security to 79.8% of the State’s population of 419.74 lakh. As many as 92,85,672 families comprising 3,25,05,903 members are covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA). Two categories of beneficiaries are there: 80,25,521 families comprising 2,86,41,514 are under Priority Household (PHH) category who are provided 5 kg of rice or wheat or combination of both per person per month @ Re 1 per kg. The other category is Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) under which 12,60,151 families comprising 38,64,389 members are provided 35 kg of rice per family per month @ Re 1 per kg. In total, 1,62,967,568 MTof rice and 24,345.287 MT of wheat are distributed per month. To provide food security to poor, distressed and eligible persons not covered under the NFSA, our State Government started implementation of ‘State Food Security Scheme’ (SFSS) from October 2018 with an initial target of 25 lakh beneficiaries. Under the scheme, each individual beneficiary is provided 5 kg of rice per month @ Re 1 per kg. The yearly requirement of 60,496 MT rice is met from the State Pool account. The Government has made an annual budgetary provision of Rs 412.50 crore to meet the cost of rice. At present, 3,16,932 families consisting of 10,08,273 members are covered under the scheme and inclusion of left-out families is under progress. All sincere efforts are being made to ensure that not a single eligible person is left out of the food security fold.
How far has the State Civil Supplies Corporation (OSCSC) lived up to its mission in serving the consumers?
Since 2003-04, the OSCSC has been engaged in procurement of Fair Average Quality (FAQ) paddy from farmers through Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies, Women Self-Help Groups and Pani Panchayats. It makes available quality rice for consumers through the Fair Price Shops network at subsidised rate after milling of the paddy procured thereby ensuring food security for people. The OSCSC ensures timely, uninterrupted availability of rice and wheat in the public distribution system (PDS) especially for the weaker and vulnerable sections of the society through efficient utilisation of available godowns and effective movement of the stocks.
How far effective is the public distribution system?
The entire PDS supply chain is automated under an ‘End-to-End Computerisation’ system since 2017. All PDS-related records are digitised and managed through online software applications on a daily basis. The online application, namely, ‘Ration Card Management System’ takes care of the entire ration card database of 96,02,604 PDS families comprising 3,35,14,176 members, managed through 377 Ration Card Management System (RCMS) centres functioning in all 314 blocks and 63 Urban Local Bodies across the State. This database generates monthly Fair Price Shop-wise online allocation of food grains and seamlessly pushed to ‘Supply Chain Management System (SCMS)’ and ‘Fair Price Shop Automation System (FPSAS)’. The web-based Supply Chain Management System (SCMS) application is installed in all 215 storage godowns of the OSCSC, which electronically records all transactions of food grains under PDS. All 12,356 Fair Price Shops engaged for PDS commodities distribution are automated through e-Point of Sale devices. Beneficiaries are distributed food grain entitlements via biometric Aadhaar authentication at Fair Price Shop points. All PDS-related information and records are hosted in department’s portal www.foododisha.in for public view.
What are your plans to weed out corruption from the department?
After use of ICT tools at all levels, functioning of PDS has become transparent and effective. Real-time reports generated from the system are helping us in key decision making. Electronic transactions at all levels are ensuring accountability of the persons manning the system. Under the ‘Mo Sarkar’ programme of our Government, regular feedbacks from beneficiaries on effective implementation of the food security schemes are being obtained.
What are the plans, if any, to extend support to migrant workers coming home?
The Government is implementing the Atmanirbhar Bharat scheme wherein migrant workers are being supplied rice @5 kg per person per month for two months and 1 kg of chana whole per family per month for two months of May and June. Besides, the Cooperation Department has augmented flow of credit to farmers, especially small, marginal, tenant farmers, oral lessees, sharecroppers and individuals taking up farm activities under the Joint Liability Group (JLG) scheme. The migrants can avail the benefits under the scheme.
