BHUBANESWAR: Opposition BJD and Congress on Wednesday targeted Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare minister Krushna Chandra Patra and demanded his removal from the cabinet over the death of two tribal women who had consumed mango kernel gruel in Kandhamal district.
Rejecting the RDC inquiry ordered by the state government, former union minister and Congress leader Srikant Jena demanded a judicial probe by a sitting judge of the High Court to ensure impartiality and transparency in the case.
“The RDC is a party to the case and should be held responsible for negligence as the district magistrate did not visit the affected village for a week. How can RDC lead an impartial inquiry,” Jena asked.
Referring to the direction of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi for distribution of PDS rice for three months in advance, the Congress leader said this provision was already in place. People were receiving 5 kg of food grains per person each month. While the July-September quota was provided in advance, the October-December distribution was delayed by a month. “Why this happened must be probed,” he said.
The former union minister said as per national Food Security Act, the poorest of the poor are entitled to 35 kg of food grains per family per month under Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY), whereas priority households are eligible for 5 kg per person per month.
“Then why were the October quota of food grains not given on time and was released only on November 2? This is a criminal offence and those responsible should be held accountable,” he added.
The BJD demanded an apology from Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida and said Patra should be removed for stating that mango kernel is the traditional diet of the tribals.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and six other ministers are from the tribal community and they should clarify whether mango kernel is their traditional food, BJD spokesperson Lekhasri Samantasinghar said.
Alleging that the death of two tribal women can be attributed to a complete breakdown of the PDS system in the state, the BJD leader said it has exposed the government’s inefficiency.
Samantasinghar came down heavily on the government accusing it of threatening people that they will excluded from PDS system if they did not comply with e-KYC. People, mostly from the tribal areas, are unable to complete e-KYC as those areas do not have internet services, she said and criticised the state government for making this mandatory. She demanded strong action against the district collectors and other officials responsible for this incident.