Dr Nimaichand lambasts sloppy implementation
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, June 07 2016:
Former Minister Dr Nimaichand Luwang has lambasted the way the National Food Security Act (NFSA) has been implemented in the State.
Speaking to media persons at the office of BJP Manipur Pradesh here today, Dr Nimaichand said that NFSA was implemented in India since September 2013 whereas the same Act was launched in Manipur on April 25 this year.
With the Government of Manipur unable to implement NFSA in time, beneficiaries of the State have already lost two years and six months.
Under NFSA, selected beneficiaries should be given 35 kg of rice per household per month at the rate of Rs three per Kg.
Priority households should be given five Kgs of rice for each family member per month.
If the Government is unable to provide rice to beneficiaries after the Act has been implemented, the beneficiaries should be given food security allowance.
The Act should be implemented by local bodies but some MLAs are directly involved in implementing the Act and they have been holding back ration cards.
Talking about Andro AC and Wangkhem AC, Dr Nimaichand said that 2553 quintals of rice are entitled to NFSA beneficiaries of Andro AC in a month.
He was told by the Imphal East DC that most of the ration cards were taken away by the concerned MLA, and four Kgs of rice were distributed to each beneficiary at the rate of Rs three per Kg.
Andro AC has around 31,000 voters but only 28,000 of them take rice under NFSA.
If they are given four Kgs of rice, the total quantity of rice distributed is 1120 quintals whereas the assembly segment monthly quota is 2553 which implies that the concerned MLA swindled 1433 quintals which amounts to Rs 34 lakh at the rate of Rs 2400 per quintal.
Likewise, the MLA of Wangkhem AC has swindled 1150 quintals of rice whose monetary value is around Rs 27 lakh, Dr Nimaichand alleged.