Manipur: NFSA card holders demand PMO intervention

TAMENGLONG, May 30, 2018: National Food Security Act (NFSA) cardholders on Tuesday staged a rally at Tamenglong district headquarters demanding the intervention of the Prime Minister's Office to redress the grievances faced by them.

The mass rally was organised by NFSA Consumer Welfare Forum Tamenglong.

A huge crowd started the rally with banners and placards from Mini Stadium, Tamenglong and submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister of India through the Deputy Commissioner, Tamenglong.

The memorandum requested the Prime Minister of India to instruct the state authorities to distribute NFSA rice to the beneficiaries as per the NFSA 2013 prescription.

It requested to release the backlog rice of August 2016 to March 2017 and August 2017 to December 2017 and also asked to pay the food security allowance for non-distribution months since the implementation of the act.

The memorandum was signed by NFSA Consumer Welfare Forum Tamenglong president Akhuam, NFSA Consumer Welfare Forum Tamenglong secretary Akhiuliu, general secretary ILCP Dijanliu, ICP president and other women societies including Vegetable Venders Society and Forerunner Tamenglong.

As per the National Food security Act 2013, each priority household shall be entitled to 5 kg of food grain per household per month and 35 kg of food grain per household per month at the subsidised price.

The act has entitled a free meal for pregnant and lactating women through local Anganwadi and maternity benefits of not less than rupees six thousand, in such instalments as may be prescribed by the central government.

The act also has a provision for children to receive age appropriate meals from the local Anganwadi for the age group of 6 month to 6 year and from the government and aided schools for the age group of 6 years to 14 years.

The agitators also demanded that the concerned officials and rationing agents should not be allowed to go against the National Food Security Act 2013 and continue to sell at their arbitrary fitted rate.

They demanded to book and punish all the officials or rationing agents that were found guilty.

The civil volunteers told DC Tamenglong that they had even filed FIR against the rationing agent but police did not take any action.

The memo was received by Deputy Commissioner Tamenglong Ravindar Singh and assured that he would take up the matter seriously.

All shops and market were closed during the mass rally which kicked off from Mini Stadium Tamenglong and ended at DC Office.

TNT News with inputs from Imphal Free Press

Image Courtesy: Imphal Free Press