Imphal Feb 10 UNA : A weeklong campaign on public distribution system (PDS) kicked off on Sunday slammed the present system of distribution of PDS items in Manipur, alleging that actual beneficiaries were deprived of their rights.
\nThe United People\u2019s Struggle Committee (UPSC), a conglomerate of several civil organizations, launched the weeklong campaign to make people aware general public on the irregularities in the distribution of PDS items to the beneficiaries in Manipur.
\nThe campaign was flagged off by president of the Senior Citizen for Society M Binoy who is also the chief advisor of the UPSC at a function held at the office premises of the CPI(ML) Manipur state council, RIMS road, Imphal.
\nSpeaking on the occasion, M Binoy slammed the present system of PDS items distribution alleging that actual beneficiaries were deprived of getting the benefits of the system.
\n\u201cHow the country could be called a free country when the poor were denied from getting their share. So long as poor people continue to suffer, the so called freedom as no significance,\u201d he said, asserting that the real freedom will come only when the plight of the poor and downtrodden people were addressed and treated them equivalent with the rich people.
\nPresident of the UPSC M Radhesana Devi observed that influential people, particularly politicians have been hijacking the share of the poor people for their own benefits, alleging that PDS items were not regularly distributed to the AAY and BPL card holders.
\nCentral government has been providing a huge quantity of rice, sugar and other items to the state too like in other states on monthly basis for distribution at subsidize rates to the BPL and AAY card holders. However, actual quantity which the card holders were to get could not be received at affordable rates as powerful people and influential people siphoned off the same.
\nShe further blamed state consumer affairs, food and public distribution department for distributing wastage items to the poor people, alleging that fine quality have been hijacking by politicians in collusion with top ranking officials of the department.
\nThe weeklong campaign was targeting to cover various places across the state to aware on the benefits which BPL and AAY holders were to get under the PDS.<\/p>\n\n