Arunachal: Anomalies alleged in PDS distribution in Padu village in Upper Siang

Pasighat: In a press conference held here at Pasighat in East Siang District on Friday, 51 ration card holders of Padu village under Mariyang Sub-Division in Upper Siang District have alleged anomalies in the entire rice distribution to 51 families in the village while also violating the norms in the selection of BPL ration card, etc.

In their statement, the ration card holders of 51 families have alleged that their shares of rations (rice) were distributed to 89 new ration card holders despite the fact that new card holders are not yet recorded in the portal of the government.

The aggrieved family members led by Sor Perme Tayeng, Gram Chairperson of Padu Upper have demanded stringent action against the erring officers like CO Mariyang Mopom, DFCSO, and i/c ADC Mariyang for their alleged involvement in depriving the designated and bonafide ration card holders.

Along with Gram Chairperson, Tayeng other aggrieved members like Ojing Paron Perme (GPM), Mum Yirang, Smti Asot Ngupok Tayeng, ex-GPC Tonak Tayeng, ex-GPM Katon Tayeng, Ex-GPM Eding Perme and FPS licensee Padu village, Gumin Tayeng supported by other Ration card holders have said that their share of ration for October, November, December 2023 and January 2024 was given to new and fresh ration card holders that were issued in the second week of January 2024.

“Our ration cards are valid up to June 2024 and are still listed in the NFSA portal based on which rations are issued and released to each beneficiary. But instead of releasing the ration items to the listed ration card holders, the CO Mariyang Mopom and DF&CSO have given our share of ration to new holders illegally”, said the aggrieved ration card holders.

As per their statement, they have lodged numerous complaints in the office of Dy. Commissioner, Yingkiong, ADC Mariyang, CO Mariyang (Mopom), and DF&CSO Yingkiong see the favour for corrective measures.

“We have been deprived and taunted by the authorities concerned for the reason best known to them. Even if there is a proposal for the addition of new beneficiaries as per the government norms, the ration items should have been released against the new cardholders also. But instead of taking corrective measures and arranging or enhancing rice quota for the fresh card holders, the CO and DF&CSO are giving away our share of rations to the fresh card holders while depriving the genuine card holders like us whose card is valid up to June 2024 and are still there in the ration portal”, added the aggrieved card holders.

More ironically, the said authorities concerned have added some APL members of Padu village like a wife of a teacher, etc under the BPL category just to let them get the benefits of Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and Priority Households (PHH) mean for the poor families.

Though the CO, i/c ADC Mariyang along with the DF&CSO have revised and added fresh applicants/beneficiaries of 89 families in the ration card list (48 AAY) and 41 PHH) as per NFSA 2023 Principal (Act) and Arunachal Pradesh Food Security Rules 2015, the aggrieved ration card holders have alleged that their share of 51 families are shared and given to the unlisted new cardholders whose names are not yet listed/uploaded in the portal.

“To get our pending ration for several months we are bound to write to authorities repeatedly and compelled to visit their offices while also taking the help of a lawyer on a routine basis which is a costly affair for a villager like us. Due to the foul play and incompetency of some officers, the villagers of our Padu village are in a direction to fight each other which would further create communal disharmony among the peace-loving village. The authorities concerned need to make a ground report and verification of the matter from ground level to amicably address the concerns of the villagers instead of sitting and ordering from the office table by hearing the approaches and dictations of some vested people”, added the aggrieved ration card holders.

In their press statement, the aggrieved ration card holders have also informed that M/s Gumin Tayeng FPS store/go-down was also broken by one Tabeng Lego from Padu village on 12th January 2024 and stole the stored PDS rice of four months, i.e. October, November, December 2023 and January 2024.

In this connection, FPS owner, Gumin Tayeng from Padu village had lodged an FIR in the Police Station of Officer-in-Charge, Mariyang but no proper action had been initiated against the responsible person.

Similarly, in October 2022 a complaint was also lodged against one Kanggong Lego, ASIF&CS from the office of DF&CSO Yingkiong for illegally distributing the four months (April-July 2022) PDS ration (mean for the 51 genuine ration card holders) to the 102 households of Padu village without justifying the card holders.

Due to such an act from the ASIF&CS five genuine card holders namely Sor Perme Tayeng (GPC), Smti Ojing Paron Perme (GPM), and three others didn’t get their ration, but ADC Mariyang had taken cognizance of the matter that time and had sought explanation from the ASIF&CS for not following the established norms. If the revision of ration card beneficiaries are as per norms then why similar revision drives are not being carried out in other villages of the district, questioned the aggrieved card holders.

When contacted by Hage Lailang, Dy. Commissioner, Upper Siang District over the issue, he said that the complainants had come to meet him.

“I have instructed the officer concerned to look into the matter”, added Lailang. When Naku Siram, i/c DF&CSO Yingkiong was asked for her statement on the allegation of the aggrieved ration card holders from Padu village, she said that she was new to the district and did not know much about the previous cases. But she has hinted at taking corrective measures wherever possible.

The problems and the concerns of the Padu village regarding the PDS issue are not new, it has been happening for the last two years. Now the aggrieved ration card holders have appealed to the state’s Chief Minister, Pema Khandu, and other higher authorities for timely intervention.

They have also sought a thorough third-party investigation into the matter and have demanded for suspension of erring officers involved while referring to the instances of CO Mopom’s order of 12th January 2024 whereas on that day the office was closed on account of Losar festival holiday.