* The Blackmarketing Of Rations Meant For The Poor Flourishes Unchecked Translation of “Berok-tok hotee hain gareebon ke rashan ki kaalabazaari”
By Dayamani Barla
Prabhat City – Aaspaas
Ranchi, Monday, 9 July 2007.
(Translation by Vidya Jonnalagadda)
The looting of the rations (subsidized goods) meant for the poor of several villages in the Jariya and Udikel Panchayats of the Karra Block has been going on without any obstruction for several years. Each month, entries are made on the Red Cards held by the uneducated and simple village folks, but the villagers do not actually get any materials. The card-holders say, “In all the past years, we have not got anything other than one or two liters of kerosene (per month)”. They add, “We get even the one or two liters of kerosene after arguments and squabbles (with the distributor)”. Even today, the Red Cards of many poor people are in the possession of the dealers. The card-holders clarify, “The dealer takes the cards from us when he gives us the kerosene and then holds them with himself for several days. During this period, he enters any amount of wheat and rice (as items delivered) on the cards”.
The Red Cards were introduced for the poor in 1997, and from that day has begun the loot of rations in their name. For the record, the Cards were valid till 2006. As long as there was space on the card to make entries, fake entries were made. The signature of the distributor or the shopkeeper is entered against each delivery date, but not a single signature of the card-holder consumer is present on any of the cards. The black marketing of the food grains meant for the poor has been going on continuously without a break from 1998 to 2006, but not a single MLA (Member of State Legislative Assembly) or MP (Member of Parliament) from this region has taken any heed of the poor.
The Red Cards were introduced by the Central Government to alleviate the poverty of the people in the State living below the poverty line. The purpose was to make available to each family a fixed amount of (subsidized) wheat, rice, sugar, kerosene, etc. from the Food and Provisions Department.
The ration shop for the village of Churale was previously under the Udikel Panchayat. The villagers recall, “During that period, we used to get some amount of rations from the shop. But ever since the shop has been moved to Jariya village, all we have been getting in the name of rations is kerosene.”
There is a total of 44 families in Churale village. Of these 44, a total of 14 Red Card-holder families were contacted for this study. Each family was interviewed. Each card-holder affirmed, “We people have received only kerosene till today; never have we received wheat, sugar, and rice”.
- To be continued. (part 2 at http://aidindia.org/main/content/view/504/1/ ) |
