IN A decision that may render the entire exercise futile, the powers-that-be have decided to persist with Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) as the agency for issuing fresh ration cards within City limits.
The Food and Civil Supplies Department recently ordered the replacement of all existing cards after an ORG-Marg survey revealed lakhs of fake ration cards in the City as well as the district.
Since the 1.5 lakh-odd fake ration cards currently in circulation within municipal limits were, presumably, issued by the IMC it makes little sense to continue with the agency.
Unless, of course, the card replacement is meant as a smokescreen and not to actually deter the insidious practice of offloading Public Distribution System (PDS) stocks in the open market.
Meanwhile, Collector Vivek Aggarwal today announced that general ration cards within municipal limits and rural areas would be carried out by the IMC and Gram Panchayats respectively.
BPL and Antyodaya cards would, however, be issued by the district Food and Civil Supplies department at the Collectorate. While City ration cards would cost Rs 10 those living in rural areas would have to shell out Rs 5 for the document.
The cards would be issued in three colour-coded categories - general (white), BPL (blue) and Antyodaya (yellow) with each being valid for a period of five years.
{{/usCountry}}The cards would be issued in three colour-coded categories - general (white), BPL (blue) and Antyodaya (yellow) with each being valid for a period of five years.
{{/usCountry}}Unlike in the past when they were festooned with the IMC logo the new City cards would bear the national emblem. The card issuance will be undertaken ward-by-ward basis with an SDM being assigned in-charge of each area. Although the Collector has set June as the deadline for the card issuance it seems exceedingly improbable that the new cards would be ready by then.
“The card replacement will be a massive exercise involving hundreds of IMC staffers and there is no way it can be completed in less than six months,” pointed out an official.
When contacted District Controller, Food and Civil Supplies, B P Kasat dismissed reports that the cards would be valid for five years.
“The number of pages appended to each card is sufficient only to last for five years and for this reason a fresh book would have to be issued,” he declared.