The Manav Adhikar Surakshya Manch (MASM) led by its president Upendranath Mishra and coordinator advocate Abani Gaya submitted a memorandum to the Brahmapur Sub-Collector here on Wednesday demanding an impartial investigation into the irregularities found in the ration card distribution in Brahmapur city.
The distribution of ration card to beneficiaries comes under the administrative ambience of State Civil Supplies Department as the scheme is purely a Central Government sponsored programme under the National Food Securities Act (NFSA), the memorandum pointed out. In spite of this, how the State Government and the local administration have allowed the ruling BJD workers, party leaders, and Corporators to distribute the ration card to the beneficiaries of all the forty wards of the BMC, the memorandum questioned.
Manch coordinator Gaya alleged that the ruling BJD has hijacked the scheme for its political benefits and with an aim to woo the voters.
The party workers are openly telling the beneficiaries that the scheme is of the BJD Government for the benefit of the poor. Gaya further alleged that, the officials in charge of ration card preparations are deliberately making wrong entries with a well planned conspiracy to get a scope for manipulation keeping the upcoming panchayat elections in mind.
In spite of the repeated reminders and clear cut instructions of the Central Government, the State Government deliberately delayed the preparation of ration cards by one year, Gaya alleged.
He further alleged that during the BJD’s Jana Sampark Pada Yatra the BJD leaders and party workers toldpeople to support the party or else lose chance of getting ration card.