Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 31 Jul: The Uttarakhand government has announced that funds for gas cylinder refills under the Mukhyamantri Antyodaya Nishulk Gas Refill Yojana will now be provided through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to beneficiaries. The Food Department has been given the responsibility to develop a robust system in order to ensure that these funds are utilised solely for the intended purpose of refilling gas cylinders.
During a review meeting held at the Secretariat here, today, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami directed officials to guarantee that all 1.84 lakh Antyodaya card-holding families, covering nearly 10 lakh beneficiaries, receive the full benefits of this pioneering scheme. It was also shared in the meeting that Uttarakhand has become the first state in the country to implement the Mukhyamantri Antyodaya Nishulk Gas Refill Yojana.
The CM further instructed officials to update the database of all beneficiaries registered under the National Food Security Act. He made it clear that senior citizens and others facing difficulties with biometric authentication should not be deprived of their ration entitlement, and provisions must be made to facilitate distribution through offline authentication or suitable alternatives. Dhami directed a comprehensive review of existing food grain storage capacities, as well as the physical state of warehouses, to guarantee safe storage. He also emphasised on the need for a rigorous implementation of the ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ scheme so that people do not face obstacles in availing their rations, regardless of location.
Directions were also issued to ensure real-time monitoring of transactions on the e-Pooorti portal. The CM stressed on improvements in Aadhaar seeding and the OTP-based distribution system using mobile phones. He asked the officials to identify fraudulent ration cards and take strict action against such cases. He made it clear that the dealers and the officers found negligent or involved in any irregularities be suspended without delay. Dhami insisted that all the cardholders must receive their entire monthly quota of ration on time, and that a robust pre-stocking mechanism be put in place, particularly for remote and the hill areas. The CM also directed a review of the condition of state warehouses, recommending their modernisation and expansion wherever required, along with the creation of a buffer stock plan in each district. Timely supply of food grains to mid-day meal and Anganwadi centres was also stressed, alongside prompt resolution of complaints filed through the food grievance redressal system.
The meeting was attended by Vice Chairman of the Infrastructure Monitoring Council Vishwas Dawar, Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan, Principal Secretaries RK Sudhanshu, L Fanai and R Meenakshi Sundaram, Secretary Chandresh Kumar Yadav, Additional Secretary Banshidhar Tiwari and senior officials from the Food Department.
