Imphal, April 08: With the Public Distribution System failing to reach the lowest denominator, the SPF Government has adopted a slew of measures to revise the existing system and ensure that the loopholes are plugged.

The decision to revise the existing system was taken during a marathon meeting held at the Chief Minister's official bungalow today from about 4 pm and attended by all the MLAs, belonging to the ruling as well as the Opposition.

Significantly, the Chief Minister also chaired a meeting of the Congress Legislative Party to discuss the same last evening.

The slew of measures to be taken up to address the present shortcomings include, placing the indents of the PDS items by the Deputy Commissioner concerned to the Director of the Food and Civil Supplies Department, the respective Directors of the FCS to issue allocation order for the indent prepared by the DCs according to their permitted quota.

After minutely deliberating the issue, the meeting decided that the MLAs concerned will sign on the permit and deposit the cost of APL rice/BPL rice/AAY rice and levy sugar and other items for the agent concerned of his Constituency except for Churachandpur, Tamenglong and Chandel, where bamboo flowering is on.

It was also decided that all MLAs will issue permits to his representative to take over PDS items from this official representative of the district at the godown and store the same at a designated place.

MLAs will also issue PDS items to all FPS under his AC.

The meeting further agreed that the representative of the MLA will lift the PDS items appointed by him from time to time in case of the valley districts while transportation bill should be submitted the DCs concerned.

An official notice which has been issued outlining the decision of the Government further said that transportation of all PDS items from PDC to PDSCs and FPS will be the responsibility of the DCs concerned in the hill districts.

The MLAs also decided that the respective DCs will issue Utilisation Certificates on the report of the receipt and distribution of PDS items on the basis of the reports submitted by the MLAs concerned through the authorised representatives, noted the order and added that the Director of the FCS will issue the next allocation on the strength of the utilisation certificates issued by the DCs.

Comment