NPP MLA asks about criteria of appointment of PDS nominees

Nationalist Peoples Party MLA, Tapang Taloh today asked the state government about the criteria of appointment of Public Distribution System nominees for supplying PDS items.

Raising the issue during a half an hour discussion in the House, Taloh alleged that a government employee had been appointed as PDS nominee and in another case a nominee is the wife of a sitting minister.

He demanded that the minister resign from the post on moral ground. Taloh, however, did not revealed the name of the minister.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to root out corruption through good governance but what is happening in Arunachal Pradesh is really unfortunate," Taloh said and demanded for a fair inquiry into the matter.

He also suggested for constituting a committee to unearth the ground reality.

Food and Civil Supplies Minister Kamlung Mossang informed the House that the department did not have any information regarding any government employee acting as PDS carriage contractor.

Giving a chronology of events, the minister disclosed that during 2004, a PIL was filed in the Gauhati High Court by the chairman of Arunachal Citizens Right (ACR) and vice chairman of NEFA Indigenous Human Rights Organisation (NIHRO) against the private carriage contractors appointed by the state government.

"The period of misappropriation of PDS fund pertains to 2002-2004. As per the direction of the High Court, the Special Investigating Team (SIT) of the state police investigated the case and submitted the list of accused persons directly to the trial court at North Lakhimpur in Assam where trial is going on," Mossang said.

He added that a few government employees were charge-sheeted and the department would initiate appropriate action against them after the court pronounced its final verdict.

Mossang said that after 2007-08, no district carriage contractors have been appointed for supplying PDS item and as per the criteria only registered cooperative societies could be recommended by the respective deputy commissioners of the districts to be appointed as carriage contractors.