Performance of Odisha State
Food Commission - A Report Card
After a protracted fight of Activists
against the decision of State Govt. designating Odisha Information Commission
as State Food Commission citing
inefficiency of Information Commissioners and pilling of
more 8000 cases for disposal and demanding its immediate withdrawal, the
State Govt. constituted State Food
Commission under 16 of National Food Security
Act vide notification dated 15.3.16. A 3-member Commission has already
completed two years of its functioning.
As per the Act, the commission has a
mandate to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the National Food Security
Act (NFSA) in the State and implementation of
mostly three prominent food security schemes like Targeted
Public Distribution System, Integrated Child Development Services and Mid Day
Meal. Besides that the Commission has the power ----------
a.
inspect or cause to be inspected, the non-compliance of policy
decisions of the Government relating to NFSA.
b.
either suo motu or on receipt of complaint inquire into violations of
entitlement,
c.
hear appeals against orders of the District Grievance Redressal
Officer; and
d.
give advice to the State Government, their agencies, autonomous bodies
as well as non-governmental organisations involved in delivery of relevant
services for the effective implementation of food and nutrition related
schemes, to enable individuals to fully access their entitlements specified in
this Act,
e.
organise regional camps to
build awareness about benefits and entitlements under the Act; and
f. define measures for redressal
of grievances in three implementing departments i.e. FS&CW, W&CD and
S&ME.
Keeping in view mandate of the Commission,
its power and functions under NFSA,
A Review exercise about
two years’ performance of State Food Commission was exercised
by Right to Food Campaign, Odisha
( a Civil Society
Forum spearheading campaign for realization of food security for all and fighting for elimination of hunger in the state ) with the following objectives.
·
How the Commission has been successful to observe its mandate to enforce
the effective implementation of various provisions of the Act.
·
How the Commission has been successful to enforce availability of entitlements at the
door-step of the beneficiaries.
·
How the Commission has been effective
to provide justice to the
victims.
While assessing performance of the Commission
from the perspective of inquiry, hear and disposal of cases of violation of
NFSA and rendering justice to the
beneficiaries deprived of their entitlements, the Team has relied
on Information obtained under RTI supplied by the PIO of State Food Commission,
Bhubaneswar ( incomplete information was supplied by the PIO for which First appeal has been
filed)
and the Annual Report of the Commission webhosted in their website.
On 17.1.18. RTI Application was filed by Sri Bhawani Nanda, retired Banker and RTI
Activist and Member of the Team to the
PIO, office of State Food Commission
seeking the following information
from 2016 to 2018.
i. Provide
information about details of number
of cases of violation of provision of
NFSA suo moto taken up by Commission as
per the following format
|
Case No
|
Subject matter
of case
|
Date of
registration of the case by the Commission
|
Date of notice/ direction issued
|
Action taken
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ii. Provide
information about no. of complaint cases filed
in the Commission as per the
following format
|
Complaint case
registered and date of registration
|
Subject matter
of Complaint
|
Name of complaint
|
Date of
notice/direction issued and action
taken by the authority
|
|
|
|
|
|
iii. Provide
information about details of hearing of the cases conducted
by the Commission as per the
following format
|
Date of hearing
|
Case No.
|
Subject matter
of complaint
|
Name of the persons present in the hearing with members of the
Commission
|
Decision of the
Commission, if any with date.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
iv. Provide
details of monitoring made by
Chairman and members of the Commission
as per the following format
|
Date
|
Places visited
|
Purpose
|
Name of members
of Commission
|
Action taken by the Commission
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2. Assessment of Information supplied under RTI
In response to RTI Application, The PIO supplied
the information which were found incomplete is as follows.
i. Information about details of number of cases of
violation of provision of NFSA suo motto taken up by Commission.
|
Case No
|
Subject matter of case
|
Date of registration of the
case by the Commission
|
Date of notice/
direction issued
|
Action taken
|
|
01/FC(S)2016
|
Disruption of MDM in Pandaba
Patana U.P. School in Tangi Block of Khordha District
|
23.09.2016
|
21.11.2016
|
Penalty of Rs.5000/- imposed
on 9 persons on 10-1-2017
|
|
02/FC(S)2016
|
As many as 40 students of
Palikiri Nodal U.P. School, Bhagabanpur Panchayat of Dhamnagar Block fell ill
on 09.09.2016 after eating Mid Day Meal
|
31.10.16
|
3.11.16
|
Hearing fixed for 27-12-16.
Details of hearing and final decision not supplied
|
|
\04/FC(S)2016
|
As many as 25 students of
Satyanarayan U.P. School, Kotkana GP – Tarjang, Block – Tirtol, Dist.
Jagatsinghpur fell ill on 07.11.16 after taking Mid Day Meal.
|
10.11.2016
|
17.11.2016
|
Hearing fixed for 27-12-16.
Details of hearing and final decision not supplied
|
|
05/FC(S)2016
|
As many as 34 students of
Arteswar U.P. School, Jagannathpur, Nahanga Panchayat of Derabis Block fell
ill on 16-11-2016 after eating Mid Day Meal.
|
22.11.16
|
1.12.16
|
Hearing fixed for 20-12-16.
Details of hearing and final decision not supplied
|
(ii) Information about
no. of complaint cases filed in
the Commission.
|
Complaint
case registered and date of registration
|
Subject
matter of complaint
|
Name
of the Complainant
|
Date
of notice/direction issued and action taken by the authority
|
|
03/OSFC/2016
|
As
many as 70 children have already died due to outbreak of Japanese
Encephalitis, Maladministration, collapse of health delivery service, food
insecurity in Malkangiri District.
|
Sri
Pradip Pradhan, Plot No.D-27, Maitree Vihar, PO – Rail Vihar, Bhubaneswar
|
Hearing fixed for 20-12-16.
Details of hearing and final decision not supplied
|
(iii) Details of cases heard by Chairman and members of the
Commission
|
Date
of hearing
|
Case
No.
|
Subject
matter of complaint
|
Name
of the person present in the hearing with the Members of the Commission
|
Decision
of the the Commission if any with date
|
|
25.10.16, 5.11.16, 22.12.16
|
01/FC(S)/2016
|
Disruption
of MDM in Pandaba Patana U.P. School in Tangi Block of Khordha District
|
Shri
Niranjan Sahoo, I.A.S., (Collector, Khordha), Sri Gangadhar Sahoo, State
Nodal Officer (MDM), Sri Brundaban Satpathy, DEO, Khordha, Sri Maheswar
Sahoo, BEO, Tangi, Sri PurnaChandra Mishra CRCC, Tangi, Smt. Soubhagini Debi,
Headmistress, Pandabapatana U.P. School, Smt. Manjulata Dei, Assistant
Teacher, Pandaba Patana Primary School, Bijaya Kumar Kandi, President, SMC
|
Penalty of Rs.5000/- imposed
on 9 persons on 10-1-2017
|
|
06.12.2016
|
02/SFC
(S)-2016
|
As
many as 40 students of Palikiri Nodal U.P. School, Bhagabanpur Panchayat of
Dhamnagar Block fell ill on 09.09.2016 after eating Mid Day Meal
|
Sri
Gangadhar Sahoo, SNO (MDM), Sri Ranjan Kumar Giri, DEO, Sri Pabitra Mohan
Barik, BEO, Dhamanagar, Sri Niranjan Kar, ABEO(MDM), Dhamnagar, MD, Imran,
Headmaster Palikiri Nodal UP School, Sri Gouranga Das, Chairperson, SMC,
Palikiri Nodal UP School.
|
Hearing fixed for 27-12-16.
Details of hearing and final decision not supplied
|
|
25.10.2016,
8.12.2016
|
03/SFC
(S)2016
|
As
many as 70 children have already died due to outbreak of Japanese
Encephalitis, Maladministration, collapse of health delivery service, food
insecurity in Malkangiri District.
|
Dr.Parag
Harsh Gavil,IAS, PD,DRDA,Malkangiri, Sri Ramkrishna Ganda, P.A., ITDA,
Malkangiri, Smt. Prative Kusum Barik, DSWO, Malkangiri, Smt. Bidyutlata
Patra, CDPO, ICDS, Kalimela, Smt Annapurna Buruda, CDPO, ICDS, Korakunda, Sri
Biranchi Narayan Daran, BDO, Malkangiri
|
Hearing fixed for 20-12-16.
Details of hearing and final decision not supplied
|
Remarks
A. Within two years of its performance , the Commission
has taken up only
four cases suo moto and
one complaint case filed
by Sri Pradip Pradhan for inquiry.
B. The Commission
has heard only five cases and No information about whether the case is disposed and final decision
announced except case no. 01/FC(S)/2016. But disposal of complaint case
of Pradip Pradhan on Child Death in Malkangiri filed in 2016 is still
pending.
C. The Commission miserably failed to supply the copy of the proceedings of
the hearing and order of the Commission. Astonishingly, the judgement
of one case 01/FC(S)/2016 is found in the website of Commission.
D. it is observed that in one of the
5 cases i.e. in case No. 01/FC(S)2016, penalty of Rs.5000/- was imposed on 9
persons including Smt. Ranjana Chopra, IAS, the then
Commissioner-cum-Secretary to Government, School & Mass Education
Department and Shri Niranjan Sahoo, IAS, the then Collector, Khordha.
But the information about whether
penalty has been collected
from them has not been supplied by the Commission.
E. The information about details of
the visit of the Commission as part of their monitoring of food security programme has not
been supplied by the office of Commission.
F. While analyzing the Annual Report of the Commission, it was observed that the Commission has issued a number of advisories, directions and recommendations to various
departments and district
administration for effective implementation of the Act and also in respect of
disposal of cases of complaint on
denial of ration card within stipulated time period, identification of extreme poor eligible Household who have not
applied for Ration card due to their ignorance and provide them
ration card, installation of dedicated
Toll free number in the Dept. to register complaints relating to PDS, SNP, MDM,
ICDS etc.,
G. The Commission has also made review
and monitoring of execution of various orders in respect of implementation of
the Act at various level and also making field visit to different areas.
Member of Team
of Right to Food Campaifn, Odisha
Pradip Pradhan, M-9937843482
Sri Bhawani Nanda
Sri Srikant Pakal
Date- 14.3.18
