Gram Panchayats to keep a tab on PDS

Chandigarh, Feb 12 (UNI) In Haryana, the Gram Panchayats have been actively involved to further improve the functioning of Public Distribution System (PDS).

While stating this here today, a spokesman of the Food and Supplies Department said that according to a charter of citizens' rights issued by the Food and Supplies Department, the Gram Panchayats had also been empowered to hear and redress the grievances of the people concerning PDS.

The Gram Panchayat would have to submit a report regarding functioning of PDS, once in a month, to the Panchayat Samiti. The Panchyats would have to verify the entries of the items of PDS made in the stock registers of the fair price shops of the State Food and Supplies Department.

He said the Monitoring Committees had been reconstituted in urban and rural areas. In case of rural areas, the members of such committees included Sarpanch, Panch belonging to Scheduled Castes and village Patwari.

Similarly, in case of urban areas the members included concerned Municipal Councilor, former Councilor, concerned Sub-Divisional Officer (Civil) or a female representative of the local area nominated by him.

He said that it had been made mandatory for the allotees of fair price shops to put up a notice board in front of the shop to display the information concerning the timings to open and close the shop and the list of items, with prices, which were in the stock.

The allotee of the fair price shop would also have to maintain stock register as well as sale register.

He said that a charter of citizens' rights had been prepared by the Food and Supplies Department to apprise the people about the activities of the Department. Also, it would make the functioning of the Department transparent.

UNI PS BP1930