Civil Supplies Minister urges officials to win public trust with better services

The Hindu

5 days ago

Minister for Civil Supplies Nadendla Manohar has urged officials of the Civil Supplies Department to earn the trust of consumers by ensuring efficient and transparent delivery of services. He was addressing a review meeting with officials from the North Andhra districts at the Collectorate in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday.
The Minister emphasised the need for field-level inspections to understand ground realities and called for enhanced coordination among departments. He reviewed the progress of the Deepam-2 scheme, rice distribution, curbing rice smuggling, weights and measures enforcement, and food quality monitoring.
Mr. Manohar stated that Mobile Dispensing Units (MDUs) had been phased out, and despite financial constraints, ration depots were operational. He said steps were being taken to ensure the supply of quality commodities through these depots.
Door delivery of ration supplies is being continued for senior citizens aged above 65 and physically challenged persons between the 26th and 30th of every month, he said. While Deepam-1 benefited 1 crore people, Deepam-2 reached 95 lakh beneficiaries. The third phase aims to cover the remaining eligible households by overcoming technical hurdles, the Minister added.
Raising concerns over complaints of ration delivery boys collecting money from beneficiaries, Mr. Manohar warned of strict action against dealers engaging in such malpractices. He also instructed officials to act promptly when gas subsidy amounts are not credited to beneficiaries' accounts.
Smart ration cards will be distributed to applicants on August 25, he announced. Further, he directed officials to ensure the display of flex boards and QR codes at ration depots. Information on available commodities, supply schedules, and related details must be visible to the public, and dealers must refrain from charging any extra amount from cardholders.
The meeting was attended by Civil Supplies Commissioner Sourabh Gaur, Visakhapatnam Joint Collector Mayur Ashok, GCC MD Kalpana Kumari, Anakapalli Joint Collector M. Jahnavi, Vizianagaram JC Sethu Madhavan, Srikakulam JC Farman Ahmed Khan, and Visakhapatnam DSO Bhaskara Rao.