Odisha Peasants blame Govt for Ration Card Irregularities

The All-India Kisan Mazdoor Sabha (AIKMS) is planning to hold demonstrations in all blocks against the ‘wrong’ criteria of selection of beneficiaries. Peasants’ organization blamed the Odisha government for the recent chaos on law and order situations in relation to ration cards under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).

The Central government had put forward the norm related to power consumption that the NFSA beneficiaries should be consuming 300 units or less electricity per month. But the Odisha government has added a new clause as per which a beneficiary should be consuming 300 units or less electricity per year. This means the electricity consumption per month should be less than 25 units which is impractical, said by Bhala Chandra Sarangi, the national committee member of AIKMS.

Sarangi also stated that a large number of ration card holders are getting disqualified by this new clause for identification under the NFSA.

The State government has adhered to the Central government’s criteria for which two third of rural families and half of urban families would come under the NFSA cover. The poor families are unsure whether they would get their ration cards or it would get cancelled.

Following the changes, the beneficiaries protested against the orders to return their ration cards, imposition of fines after their return and threat of arrest had turned violent and ransacked the Gumma block office in Gajapati district recently leaving ten policemen injured.