March 23 evening, showing serious concern about the people particularly those living below Poverty line, during the total lockdown called, as precautionary measures to fight the spread of Coronavirus, state cabinet resolved to distribute PDS rice to NFSA cardholders and those who do not have NFSA card but CMHT cards for the month of April in this current month at free of cost.
The decision taken by the state cabinet was announced by the spokesperson of State Government Th. Bishwajit who is also the Works and Power Minister to a group of media persons.
However, at the ground, the cabinet decision has been disregarded at some of the Assembly Constituencies particularly in Keishamthong Assembly Constituency.
After Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced 21 days lockdown starting from midnight of 24 in the entire country to counter the spread of the coronavirus, the state government too takes immediate measures to follow the announcement of the Prime Minister and make sure that the people of the state do not face any problem food scarcity. Some MLAs under the supervision of the Chief Minister had started handing over rice to various PDS agents to distribute it to the public free of cost. There is a report that the rice has started distribution at some of the Assembly constituency as the lockdown enters 3rd day.
As for the Keishamthong Assembly constituency, the Agents instead of distributing the rice free of cost had been distributing the rice at Rs. 3 per kg. The decision of the state cabinet has not been followed and above all when a CMHT cardholder went to collect their share of rice the agent said that those rice are not meant for the CMHT cardholders but for the recorded consume who have cards.
The question that Imphal Times want to put up is, whether the state government had excluded Keishamthong Assembly constituency when they took the decision to distribute rice for the month of April in advance at free of cost. We are at war like situation fighting with an invisible enemy. The way that the PDS agent in Keishamthong Constituency needs to be looked upon by the Chief Minister who is working hard for the welfare of the people.
