JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir government is mulling over installing cameras in the stores of Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution department in all districts to ensure transparency and plug in pilferage of food grains in the State.
"The government is contemplating to install IB cameras in CAPD stores of all the districts to ensure transparency and plug in pilferage of food grains," Minister for Consumer Affairs & Public Distribution (CAPD) and Tribal Affairs, Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali said.
Besides, a 15-member vigilance and intelligence squad would be formed to monitor the quantity of ration being loaded and unloaded by the trucks at the ration stores, he added. Suggestion boxes, display boards and electronic weighing machines would be installed in all the fair price shops by the end of this month, the minister said.
He asked the officers to maintain proper record of the activities, including field visits and sample testing, undertaken by the department. Ali also stressed on creating awareness among the people about the department's schemes and the grievance redressal helpline numbers through print and electronic media.
The Minister asked the officers to make sure that a uniform scale for distribution of ration in all the districts was maintained, and said strict action would be taken against those officials who would be found fixing the scale at their own discretion. He instructed the Assistant Directors to submit shortage and recovery status to the Director CAPD by next week and enquired about money transferred to ADs for transportation and handling of food grains.
He also asked for creating a transparent mechanism of transferring the money directly to the bank account of ADs who, in turn, should transfer money directly to the bank accounts of ration dealers.
The Minister directed for constitution of a committee to ascertain the grinding capacity of flour mills so that they should not be given grains beyond their grinding capacities.
Expressing concerns over bogus ration cards, the Minister asked the concerned ADs to certify that no bogus ration card exists in their concerned district by next month.