SC directs for PDS monitoring committee to check corruption

New Delhi, July 12 (UNI) The Supreme Court(SC) today ordered the appointment of a two-member monitoring committee to be headed by a retired SC judge to suggest measures to check corruption in the Public Distribution Sytstem (PDS).

Today's directions came during the hearing of a PIL filed by People's Union for Civil Liberties.

The petitioners had alleged that the food items meant for distribution through PDS to the people living Below Poverty Line (BPL) and other weaker sections of society are being illegally diverted to be sold in black market.

The petitioner has also referred to a sting operation conducted by a private TV news channel showing that truckloads of foodgrains being taken from Food Corporation of India (FCI) godown being taken to be sold in the black market.

The petitioner has also alleged that fair price shop owners as well as kerosene dealers manipulate their stock records to show that the entire stock of foodgrains, kerosene oil, rice, sugar had already been sold out or has not been supplied by the government in time while in fact, the major part of the stock is being sold in the black market.

These dealers have fake ration cards and issue cash memos through bogus signatures to deny their due to the people living below BPL.

The vigilance department of Food and Civil Supplies Delhi is virtually defunct and hardly any action is taken against the black marketeers who are in league with FCI officials as well as food and civil supplies department officials.

Foodgrains worth crores of rupees released by the government for the PDS are being diverted to the black market.

A bench comprising Mr Justice Arijit Pasayat and Mr Justice S H Kapadia directed that the 2-member monitoring committee shall have Mr N C Saxena as member and shall submt its report within four months.

The committee shall suggest ways to streamline the PDS system and also to plug the loopholes in the present system to check diversion of foodgrains and kerosene to black market.

The petitioner was represented by senior counsel Collin Gonsalves.

UNI AKS/SC PK PK RN1459