The government has extended the deadline for seeking corrections in the draft ration priority list by five days to November 5.
Food and Civil Supplies Minister P. Thilothaman told a news conference at the Assembly on Tuesday that local government institutions and taluk supply offices across the State will accept applications from cardholders till November 5. The officers concerned would work on holidays as well to receive the applications. The near-stampede situation at the Neyyattinkara taluk supply office was on account of the failure of the officers concerned to make appropriate arrangements, he added.
A pressnote issued by the Minister’s office later in the day said the applications would be scrutinised and hearings conducted by verification committees chaired by an officer not below the rank of junior superintendent in the offices of the panchayat/municipal offices. Appeals against the decisions of these committees can be submitted to an appeal committee to be chaired by the District Collector concerned.
Under the existing system, there would be no change in the status of a card holder for five years once a card is issued. Under the Food Security Act, the status of a person, a priority or non-priority card holder, would keep changing as the revision of the priority list was an ongoing process.
The government had selected Kollam as the model district for implementing the Food Security Act. Steps were being taken to supply ration articles directly to the retail ration dealers in the district from the godowns of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) beginning November 1. The Act would be implemented in full in the remaining districts from April 1, 2017, the press note said.
A separate official press note quoted the Director of Panchayats as saying that that all grama panchayat secretaries have been asked to complete hearings in a time-bound manner. Details regarding those eligible for priority cards have been published on the website of the Food and Civil Supplies Department, village offices and grama panchayat offices, the press note said.
