Patna: State Food and Consumer Protection Minister Ashok Choudhary on Tuesday chaired a high-level review meeting to assess the progress of departmental schemes, procurement operations, the public distribution system (PDS) and consumer protection initiatives.
Senior officials, including Food and Consumer Protection Department (FCPD) Secretary Abhay Kumar Singh, Special Secretary Upendra Kumar, FCPD Directorate Director Vibhuti Ranjan Choudhary and Bihar State Food and Civil Supplies Corporation Managing Director Sunil Kumar, attended the meeting.
Officials gave a presentation on the status of various departmental programmes and ongoing initiatives.
Focus on ration cards and PDS vacancies
During the review, the minister directed officials to complete the process of issuing new ration cards within the stipulated timeline and ensure full transparency in the process.
He also stressed the need to fill vacancies in fair price shops under the public distribution system within a fixed timeframe.
Choudhary instructed the Bihar State Food and Civil Supplies Corporation to ensure timely delivery of quality foodgrains to beneficiaries in the prescribed quantity. He also ordered action against transporters found negligent in foodgrain supply operations.
“The timely distribution of foodgrains to beneficiaries is the department’s top priority and negligence in this regard will not be tolerated,” the minister said during the meeting.
Proposal for doorstep delivery to elderly beneficiaries
The minister asked officials to examine the feasibility of launching a pilot project to deliver foodgrains to the homes of beneficiaries aged above 80 years.
He directed the department to prepare a proposal for the initiative and said further steps for state-wide implementation would be considered based on the outcome of the pilot project.
Push for procurement and storage expansion
Reviewing pulse procurement operations, Choudhary asked officials to coordinate with the cooperation department to expedite the procurement process.
He also asked the department to explore the possibility of constructing warehouses under the public-private partnership (PPP) model to strengthen storage capacity in the state.
Directions on outreach and staffing
The minister directed officials to ensure wider publicity of departmental schemes and activities through social media platforms as well as print and electronic media.
He also instructed the Consumer Protection Directorate to fill vacant posts at the earliest in accordance with rules, stating that adequate human resources were essential for effective departmental functioning.
Choudhary further asked officials to ensure accountability and transparency in the implementation of all schemes and programmes.
