On Thursday the state government issued another communiqué claiming that the strike called by Gujarat Fair-price Shops and Kerosene Licence Holder Association had not affected the supply of essential commodities. But Prahlad Modi, president of the association, asserted that the strike was effective. The younger sibling of CM Modi, told Paras K Jha that he is not against bringing transparency in the Public Distribution System (PDS), but it should be done in a way that FPS owners aren't portrayed as anti-people.
What is the issue?
I have said in our demands that all ration card holders should be given bar-codes and only after that, online permits be issued. Further, we should be given 100% volume of the commodities, which is not the case now.
Will the system ensure transparency?
The bar-code system is good. Once implemented, many FPS owners indulging in malpractices will fall in line. At present, the government is issuing bar-coded ration cards but notwithdrawing the old cards.Hence fake ration cards still exist. There are instances where officers have given oral orders to FPS for manual billing. The orders for the implementation of the system have been issued only to one agency. As a result, at district level, agency representatives don't listen to district supply officers or event collectors.
What about provision for rectification of errors?
The government says that either the ration card holder or the FPS owner can approach them in case of any discrepancy in the website list. But I want to say that it is government's responsibility to rectify the errors.
Have you brought this issue to notice of the CM?
We have approached his office but have not got an appointment yet. He is a very dedicated leader but there are efforts to damage his image through this issue in the election year.
The government claims that despite strike online permits are being issued?
These claims are false as online permits are issued by an officer with his thumb impression. Now, they can get as many permits issued as they want, but it is not that our FPS owners are taking those permits genuinely.
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