From: paschim banga khet majoor samity pbkmswb@gmail.com
Sent: Sun, 15 Jul 2012 09:46:55 +0530
To: Anuradha Talwar pbkmswb@gmail.com
Subject: Fwd: Public vigilance on rationing system in Datan Paschim Midnapore16th July 3 PM
INVITATION
Date:-15 July 2012
Launching Public Vigilance As Part Of The Tala Kholo Abhijan
A public meeting is beingorganised at 3 PM on 16.7.2012 at Rabindra Bhaban in Dantan , Paschim Midnapore to publicise the results of a recent block level survey on the shabby state ofaffairs in the rationing system in Datan 1 block and to organise public actionfor vigilance. All important stake holders have been invited for the meetingsuch as District Controller (Food and Supplies), Paschim Medinipur; ArunMahapatra, MLA Datan and Bira Mandi, MLA, Keshiary; BDO andFood Inspector ,Dantan 1 block; beneficiaries of 9 GPs and leaders of all politicalparties.
Also present will be eminentscientist Meher Engineer; West Bengal Advisor to the Supreme Court , AnuradhaTalwar; State Committee member of PBKMS, Swapan Ganguly; and, eminent socialactivist and member of National Alliance of People's Movement (NAPM), DebjitDutta.
Please find below a note giving the background to the meeting and please do join us if possible. A copy of the study is attached
Yours sincerely
(Sandip Singha)
Paschim Banga Khet MajoorSamity, Paschim Midnapore
PRESS NOTE
On 26th June 2012,a number of trade unions, mass organisations ,NGOs and trade unions in WestBengal, all part of the Right To Food and Work Campaign- West Bengal announcedthe start of the Tala Kholo Abhijan.The purpose was to focus public attention on hunger that continues to exist amidstoverflowing Government stocks of food grains. In West Bengal, there is the addedproblem of a new Government which is struggling to stem the continuing rot inthe Public Distribution System(PDS).
Activities been started in Datan as part of this campaign. Datan 1 block is to be a pilot in organising public vigilance on the rationing system. A recentstudy in Datan 1 block (Paschim Midnapore) conducted by Paschim Banga KhetMajoor Samity (PBKMS), one of the constituent organisations of the Campaign,has shown shocking results. The study covered 18 shops and 148 beneficiaries inall. Almost 40% of the card holders had no ration cards in their possession.Most shops did not have boards outside the MR shops that are legally requiredby the Supreme Court, stating basic information such as stock rates, quotas,list of beneficiaries. Of the 148 beneficiaries interviewed only 5 reportedreceiving the correct amount of food grains. No cash memos were issued to cardholders. It was clear that Sales Registers maintained by the ration dealerswere clearly cooked up records, as were their Log Books showing stocks andallocations. The entire Public Distribution System seemed to be functioning ona whole lot of spurious and outdated information.
The results of this study were sharedwith Shri Nurul Haque , Food Commissioner, and Shri Jaydev Jana , Director (Distribution, Procurement and Supply) on 13th June 2012 and later on 3rd July 2012 with theMinister of Food and Civil Supplies , Shri Jyotipriya Mallick by PBKMS members along with AnuradhaTalwar, West Bengal Advisor to the Commissioners of the Supreme Court . After discussion with them it was agreedthat the inspection system was failing and there was a need for publicvigilance and awareness to ensure that beneficiaries got their entitlements. Itwas also agreed that the West Bengal Advisor would take up activities in the blockto generate public awareness with the help of PBKMS. This would be treated as apilot to understand how to increase public vigilance.
A phone call system to inform about 60-70 interestedmembers of the public about their weekly allotment is being organised by thePBKMS for the past month and feedback shows that those who know about their allotments are ensuring that they get the correct amount. In the same vein, a public meeting is being organised on 16th July 2012at at Datan to publicise the results of the recentsurvey and to organise people's committees for vigilance.
In the meantime, ration dealers have started reacting to theincreased public vigilance. On 5th July 2012 , a drunken ration dealer forced his wayinto the PBKMS office at Barangi in Datan 1 block and threatened the PBKMSactivist couple that lives and works there. The Ration Dealers Association ofthe block has split with a large section leaving the CPI(M) to join theTrinamul Congress for protection. And last but not least, a threat has beenmade in public by cohorts of the ration dealers on 14th July 2012 that PBKMS leaderswill be beaten and thrown out of the block .
It is in the midst of such threats and intimidation that the meeting is being organised on the 16th. The PBKMS plans use the meeting to start an SMS based system to inform people about their allotments every week. It also plans to set up people's committees in each ration shop as well as provide training to such committee members, as well as to the members of officially set up vigilance committees. It is also proposed that the complaints system at the block level be revamped to ensure maximum public involvement and responsiveness.
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