Bilaspur MLA Shailesh Pandey raise ration card issue during call attention of the House
MLA Pandey said poor people are deprived of free medical facilities runs by the state government in the absence of ration cards.
The officers in the Food and Civil Supplies Department are not picking up calls, said MLA Pandey
Raipur:Bilaspur City MLA Shailesh Pandey raised the issue of pending applications of ration card and apathy of the department concerned to dispose of these applications, depriving hundreds of beneficiaries of free medical facilities provided on the basis of the ration cards, during the Call Attention of the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly on Tuesday.
MLA Pandey informed the House that the officers of the Food Department are not picking up his calls and responding to the applications sent by him regarding the ration card. The MLA also said that one of the officers in the Food and Civil Supplies Department told him that the application needs approval of labour department.
When MLA Pandey asked about the role of the Labour Department in the House, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Amarjeet Bhagat said that there is no role of labour department in the ration card preparations. Speaker Dr Charandas Mahant also took cognizance of the matter and said that the officer should reply.
The Minister said that only 209 applications seeking new ration cards were pending and 530 applications regarding addition of names to the existing ration cards pending. From April 2021 to February 2022, 30228 new ration cards were issues in Bilaspur district and 48544 names were added to the existing ration cards. In February 2022, 2885 new ration cards were issued in the district and 4911 names were added. Till February in the fiscal 2021-22, 49109 applications were received of which, 30283 applications of new ration cards were disposed of. Similarly 48579 applications related to addition of names were disposed of.
The Minister rejected the claim of the MLA Pandey that people of the district were angry after they were denied ration cards. Eligible people are being issued ration cards and getting treatment under Khubchand Baghel Swasthya Yojana and Mukhya Mantri Vishesh Sahayata Yojana free of cost. A total of 34036 beneficiaries were benefited under these schemes, said the Minister.
MLA Pandey further said in the House that he has the list of 241 beneficiaries who were deprived of ration card and cited name of one Nazra Begum.