NAWANSHAHR: Chairman, Punjab State Food Commission D P Reddy today visited Government Schools and Anganwari centers of village Kang and Bazidpur to take stock of Mid Day Meal and nutritional food in Nawanshahr ( SBS Nagar District) . He also monitored the distribution of food to the poor families under National Food Security Act at village Pandrawal. He was accompanied by Deputy Commissioner Vinay Bublani and district heads of food and civil Supply, Education and Social Security and Women and Child Development.
He said that the the main aim of his visit was to see the ground realties of all schemes related to Natinal Food Security Act . He directed the local authorities to ensure the quality standards of grains and nutritional food high by giving feedback to their authorities regularly. Reddy partcularly saw the school’s Mid Day Meal kitchen and laid stress on more hygienic way of cooking. He also directed District Education Officer to get checked the quality of drinking water too regularly. He also interacted with the students of Government Middle School Kang and got their feedback regarding Mid Day Meal served to them.
State Food Commission Chairman also visited the Anaganwari Center of village Bazidpur and go through the record of center. He also checked the food grain utensils to ensure the proper storage of grains. He directed the District Program Officer to extend all benefits to the would be mothers, lactating mothers under the act besides ensuring the monetary benefits under Pardhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojna. At village Pandrawal where distribution of wheat was going on under Atta Dal and National Food Secutity Act, he witnessed the distribution process that was bio-metric throyugh e-POS machine. He asked the officials to ensure the benefit of National Food Security Act, 2013 to all the eligible beneficiaries at the grassroot level by adding that no laxity would be tolerated in case of any wrongdoing.
He said that the main aim of the Commission is to meet the purpose of National Food Security Act 2013 is to provide food grains at the subsidized rate to every poor and needy person, who fulfilled the criteria listed in the Act.Besides maintaining transparency by creating awareness among the masses through various mediums, we are also sensitising the officers of the three main departments cocerned with National food Security Act, he added.
Reddy said that under the Punjab Food Security Rules, 2016, a two way grievance redressal system has also been introduced at both internal and external level to prevent any kind of dereliction in the National Food Security Act-2013. Under this process, the complaint can be lodged at the Block level with AFSOs and at District level with DFSOs. Similalrly, all Additional Deputy Commissioners (Development) of Punjab have also been designated as District Grievance Redressal Officer under the external grievance system. If any complainant/beneficiary is not satisfied with the internal complaint system, he can approach to the DGRO (ADC). State Commission can also be approcahed to file an appeal against the decision of DGRO besides adrresing complaints directly to the commission too. He said that the office of the Commission is in Sector 26 in the complex of Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration, Chandigarh.
He was accompanied by DC Vinay Bublani, DFSC Rajnish Kaur, DEO (Elementary) Komal Chopra and District Program Officer Manjit Kaur. Photo Caption: 07.08.19 Primary School Kang 01, 02: Chairman Punjab Food Commission, D P Reddy tasting the cooked food and drinking water at Mid Day Meal Kitchen of Government Primary School Kang.