Haryana Food and Supplies Minister Karan Dev Kamboj on Friday said that steps would be taken to improve the Public Distribution System (PDS) in the state and ensure that those belonging to weaker sections of the society get quality ration.
Kamboj said that he had led a delegation to Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to study the PDS system and methods of storage of foodgrains in these states.
The Minister said that in Chhattisgarh, the PDS is linked with public participation and Fair Price Shops (FPS) are run through Gram Panchayats, government committees, women self help groups and municipalities. The ration to these shops is supplied by government agencies. A toll free number has also been made available for the general public to inform the Department about anyone committing irregularities so that action be taken by the department, he said. Kamboj said that the State Government would study this public distribution system after which appropriate decision would be taken in view of the conditions prevailing in the state.
He said that the computerised system of Chhattisgarh is also being studied. Under this system, people are made aware of their rights through mobile phones. The consumers are informed through SMS abot information related to lifting of ration from godowns to its delivery at Fair Price Shops.
In Chhattisgarh, people are provided with the facility of changing their fair price shop according to their convenience. The ‘Core PDS-Meri Marzi’ is good option for people, which could be initiated to facilitate the people in the state. This would not only help depot holders in distributing high quality material to consumers but also in providing full ration to consumers in time, added the Minister.