Speed Post News Network
New Delhi : The National Human Rights Commission ( NHRC), India, has taken cognisance of a complaint alleging denial of benefits to the people during Covid pandenic under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojna (PMGKAY) and other schemes under the integral management of public distribution system (IMPDS) due to non completion of bio-metric authentication of the beneficiaries.
Accordingly, the NHRC has issued notices to the Secretary, Department of Food and Public Distribution, Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs , Food and Public Distribution, and the Chief Secretaries/Administrators of all the States/UTs within four weeks on the action taken regarding the issue of problematic bio-metric authentication or “End-to-end Computerisation of Public Distribution System (PDS) Operations”.
The Commission has also specifically directed the Chief Secretary , Govt. of Mizoram, to submit action taken report within one week on the alleged denial of benefits to the Chakma villagers of Vasei and Damdep Godown of the Chakma Autonomous District Council (CADC), District-Lawngtlai, Mizoram, despite having Aadhaar Cards/Ration Cards under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojna. The report should clearly specify the steps taken by the District Administration to mitigate the hardship of the Chakma villagers of Vasei and Damdep Godown of CADC. The Commission has also directed its DIG (Investigation) to collect facts within three days regarding the alleged denial of right to food to the Chakma villagers, according to an NHRC releasea .
The Commission has observed that the Computerisation of Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) is aimed at ensuring food security to the people, specially the poor and vulnerable sections, by eliminating the shortcomings such as leakages and diversion of foodgrains, inclusion and exclusion errors in identification of beneficiaries, etc but the lack of availability of internet /mobile connectivity to end users, who are residing at far flung/remote areas is also to be looked into. What is of paramount interest in these grave pandemic times is to ensure that the beneficiaries of PMGKAY Scheme are not deprived of their entitlements.