The recently introduced State government’s most ambitious programme ‘Anna Bhagya’ offering one kilogram of rice at Re 1 up to 30 kg, per BPL family has raised suspicion over the effective implementation of the programme.
The project unveiled to help people below the poverty line brings serious inferences over how genuinely the provisions of this programme will reach authentic BPL cardholders. There are hoards of issues that gesture the probable leakages and malpractices in the process.
The fair price depots are directed to store the necessary quantity of rice by July 20 and most of the storehouses of fair price depots in the district are filled with rice that is going to be distributed in the days to come.
In Udupi district, there are around 94,845 BPL card holders and the required amount of rice is around 27,840 quintal per month.
Deputy Commissioner Dr M T Reju told Deccan Herald that vigilance committees are formed to take care of malpractices at all levels right from the fair price depots to city municipal corporations and town municipal corporations.
Besides, the government is also planning to introduce point of sale machines to curb the malpractices. It has been already introduced in Chikmagalur, Tumkur, Mysore, Bangalore Centre and south zone areas in the State. These machines will be introduced all over the state once the ration card process is completed, he said.
Besides, the government has also introduced toll free helpline in respective districts in food and civil supplies departments and toll free contact number is mentioned in all ration cards.
Despite all these measures, the very fundamental question that bothers is, will the government be able to check the leakages taking place in the public distribution programme. Will all these actions by the government provide justice to the hungry stomachs?
Nearly 48.58 per cent of the population in Udupi district are BPL cardholders. As on July, there are nearly 2,33,241 ration cards in the district, including APL, BPL and Anthyodaya cardholders.
According to sources, the number of BPL cardholders will not cross 25 per cent in the district. There are several people above the poverty line who too get BPL cards.
There are nearly 2.11 households in the district. However, as per the list, the percentage of BPL cardholders is around 48.58 percent.
Food and Civil Supplies District Deputy Director Arun Sanghvi said there are possibilities of the calculated percentage going wrong.
The calculations go wrong right at the panchayat level wherein the in-charge PDOs and other officials do not even bother to verify the submissions admitted by the applicant. The procedure is online and there is 14 criterion which have been revised, he added.
On the other hand, the fair price depot owners who distribute rice to the BPL cardholders will receive meager commission. There are nearly 287 fair price depots in the district, of which 261 are run by co-operative societies.
The fair price depot owners will get Rs 310 per metric tonne and Rs 31 per quintal. When it comes to one kilogram, the commission that the distributor gets is mere 31 paise.
The marginal profit is nowhere sustainable and indeed provokes the fair price depot owner to indulge in malpractices.
Yogesh Acharya who has his fair price depot in Udupi market area says, “it is highly impossible to make a living out of the income that comes from ration shops. If it is the own building, then there is no question of paying rent, or else majority sum that is earned will go off for the rent. I should also pay salary to the workers who assist me. I cannot manage the entire shop all alone. I need at least one helping hand.” He added, “Anna Bhagya Yojane has given the ration shop owners an extra burden of work without any profit. We get very less commission,” he said.
The government’s possible failure to plug in the theoretical leakages and unscientific handling of the rice will cost heavy on Anna Bhagya scheme implemented at the cost of Rs 7,000 crore in the days to come.
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