Arunachal Pradesh, the land of rising sun is spread over an area of 83,743 sq km. It has common international boundary with Bhutan, China and Myanmar. It has also common boundary with its neighbouring states of Assam and Nagaland. The vastness of the state having limited surface communication has at times put challenging task before the Food & Civil Supply department, especially during monsoon season when surface communications get disrupted. Inspite of all such hurdles, the department has always delivered to the consumers. To meet the food requirement of interior locations in the past, air sorties were operated under CPO Scheme, by the Indian Air Force. There were as many as 40 CPO centres and the people, specially the government employees were fed through these CPO centres. The Indian Air Force planes were deployed to drop the essential commodities in the far flung CPO centres from air bases at Jorhat, Mohanbari and Tezpur in Assam. In due course of time, when road communication linked up some prominent district hqs., air bases were shifted to three Forward Focal Points (FFP) within Arunachal Pradesh viz. Ziro, Along and Pasighat from where helicopter operations started functioning which reduced the cost of air operation. However, fixed wing places continued its operation from Jorhat and Mohanbari air bases. With the gradual development of surface communication, the Public Distribution System took over the CPO Schemes and till 31/3/2009, 18 CPO Centres are still functioning in the forward areas which will also be taken over by PDS once road communication connects all the locations.
The
department of Food & Civil Supplies (FCS) arranges procurement
of PDS items like rice, wheat/atta, levy sugar, iodised salt (procurement
not being done now), Kerosene oil, LPG under various Govt. of India
scheme under Public Distribution System. Essential commodities are
distributed through Fair Price Shops to the identified beneficiaries
under the following categories : - APL (Above Poverty Line), BPL
(Below Poverty Line), AAY (Antyodaya Anna Yojana) and Annapurna. APL families are issued with pink ration cards, BPL families with
dark green ration cards, AAY families with yellow ration cards and
Annapurna beneficiaries with light green ration cards. |
Shri Kamlung Mossang
Hon'ble Minister
Food & Civil Supplies
Shri Nido Pavitra
Parliamentary Secretary
Food & Civil Supplies
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As on January,
2009, 2,19,273 families have been issued with APL cards, 60,771
families with BPL cards and 38,000 families with AAY cards. Sections
under BPL (including AAY, who are poorest of the poor amongst BPL
families) are provided with special treatment in terms of lower
prices. The objectives of the Public Distribution System is to ensure
food security and poverty alleviation by making available the essential
commodities, specially food grains at an affordable and uniform
price at the door steps of the consumers. The
State Food & Civil Supplies department has adopted a Revised
Model Citizens’ Charter issued by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs,
Food & Public Distribution, Department of Food & Public
Distribution, Govt. of India for effective, hassle free implementation
of the TPDS in the state and to enable the eligible citizens to
get their entitlements under the TPDS.
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