A day after Election Commission of India (ECI) took cognisance of the complaint of former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal for violation of Model Code of Conduct, Himachal Government ordered for plain forms for ration cards, without pictures of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.
A spokesman of the State election department said on Tuesday that taking cognisance of the complaint from BJP regarding photographs of political leaders on PDS bags and ration cards, the food and civil supplies department has clarified that no PDS bags or ration cards carrying photographs of political leaders were now being given to the consumers.
Directions had been issued to food and civil supplies department to withdraw the PDS bags and ration cards carrying pictures of political leaders, said spokesperson of the election department.
The food and civil supplies department clarified that PDS bags with photographs were provided to limited number of those beneficiaries, who were invited to the launch of the National Food Security Act, 2013 on September 20, 2013, much before the enforcement of model code of conduct.
As per the directions, draft forms were being sent to all the DFSCs and BDOs. All the BDOs have been directed to print sufficient number of plain forms (without any photographs) for the gram panchayats under their control and they have been further directed to distribute these to the Panchayats secretaries, so that fresh forms may be made available to the general public.