MP Govt committed to make PDS full-proof

Bhopal, Mar 30 (UNI) Madhya Pradesh Food and Civil Supplies Minister Gopal Bhargava today told the Assembly that the government was committed to making the Public Distribution System full-proof.

He was replying to a non-official resolution presented by Mr Umashankar Gupta (BJP) and Mr Satyadeo Katare (Cong) over getting foodgrains under the PDS distributed through panchayats.

Mr Katare urged that five selected gram panchayats must be given responsibility under the PDS as a pilot project in this regard.

On Speaker Ishwardas Rohani's intervention, Mr Bhargava assured Mr Katare that he would consider it.

He claimed that the PDS system through cooperative bodies in the state was best in the country but admitted that some irregularities came into his knowledge.

The Minister said 22,000 inspections at departmental level had been carried out in order to curb irregularities and PDS material worth Rs 56 crore was seized. In this regard, several culprits had been sent to jail.

He said a decision to provide responsibility of distribution under the PDS to panchayat, cooperative society or voluntary organisation would be taken after serious deliberations and after taking the Opposition into confidence.

When the Congress member asked whether the Minister would present a scheme in this regard in the next assembly session, he said he would present an outline in this regard in the next assembly session.

After the Minister's reply, Mr Katare took back his non-official resolution.

UNI