Total number of 3.90 crore people out of 4.19 crore of total population of Odisha

Total number of 3.90 crore people out of 4.19 crore of total population of Odisha ( 3,26,21,167 people  as Priority Household and 12,64,500  families  under  Antodaya Anna Yojana)   to be covered  under  National Food Security Act

  

There  is confusion that  only 3,26,21,167 people ( 65 % of families)   will be  covered   as  beneficiary  under National Food Security Act.  But besides that  another 12, 64, 600 families  ( 63,23,000 people)  will be covered  under  NFSA. It means total  number  of 3,89,44,167( around 77%)  will  be covered  as beneficiary  under NFSA.  The details  of  information extracted  from PDS  Control Order, 2015  is presented  below.

Total Population  of Odisha  ( Census 2011)	4, 19,47,358
Percentage of coverage  of Rural areas	82.17
Percentage of Coverage  of Urban areas	55.77
Number of Persons to be covered  in Rural areas	28,719,429
Number of persons to be covered  in Urban areas	3,901,738
Total  population to be covered	32,621,167
Number of families  to be covered  under Antodaya Anna Yojana	1,264,500

Secondly,  all of  you  are aware  that  many politically powerful people  and financial  sound  families  have illegally   enlisted their name  as  Priority Household under National Food Security Act  and  taken   Ration Card.  Earlier the State  Govt. has issued warning  to  take criminal action against the people  illegally  applying  for  Ration  Card. But  the State Govt. has not  lodged  FIR against  the people  who have taken  Ration Card illegally   by filling false affidavit.   Two prominent laws i.e, PDS Control Oder, 2015 and Essential Commodities Act, 1955 have prescribed  details of action to be taken   against  the people  violating the law.

Clause 13 of PDS Control Order  (Penalty)  says  .-If any person contravenes any of the provisions of this Order he shall be liable to punishment under section 7 of the Essential Commodities Act.

7. Penalties :

(i) If any person contravenes any order made under section 3 :-

(a) he shall be punishable :-

(i) in the case of an order made with reference to clause (h) or clause (i) of sub-section (2) of that section, with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year and shall also be liable to fine, and

(ii) in the case of any other order, with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than three months but which may extend to seven years and shall also be liable to fine;

(b) any property in respect of which the order has been contravened shall be forfeited to the Government.

Clause 3 (10) of PDS Control Order, 2015 has prescribed that the State Government shall prescribe the detailed procedure for finalization of the list of eligible households covering,

inter-alia, aspects like the process of drawing up of draft list, putting the draft list in the public domain including reading out of the list in meetings of the Gram Sabha or equivalent body in urban areas, inviting objections, disposal of objections, appeals and so on

.Clause 4  (14)  says The designated authority shall issue a ration card to an eligible applicant within a reasonable time not exceeding one month of the date of receipt of the application after necessary checks and verification. But  astonishingly,  though the people have  reapplied  for  ration Card  since 2 and half months, the State Has neither  issued Rational card  nor  rejected  their application citing the reasons.

Pradip Pradhan

M-9937843482

Date- 9.1.16