SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, July 15: A team of the district administration today seized 160 pieces of Saree-Dhoti and Lungi meant for Sona- Sobran Yojna from a shop and arrested the PDS dealer in Kumardhubi under Egarkund block, around 46 km away from district headquarters.
A team under ADM (supply) Bhogendra Thakur raided the private shop of PDS dealer Idris Ansari in Kumardhubi market and seized 160 pieces of Dhoti-Saree and Lungi being sold in the open market. The police arrested the dealer after the recovery of the clothes.
Sona-Sobran Saree-Dhoti Yojna is an ambitious welfare project of the state government in which poor beneficiaries are given Dhoti-Saree, Lungi and Gamchha one each for Rs 10 only twice a year through the PDS shop.
ADM Bhogendra Thakur said that the raid was conducted after getting complaints that poor quality Dhoti-Saree is being given by PDS shop owner in Jogrt Panchayat under Gyarahkund block in the name Sona- Sobran Saree- Dhoti Yojna of the government.
The team today raided the PDS godown of the dealer and the private shop Bikky-Wedding that he runs in Kumardhubi Market.
As per the allegation, the PDS shop dealer was selling high-quality saree-dhoti of the scheme at high prices in the market through his private shop and kept the inferior quality of clothes for distribution among beneficiaries at Rs 10.
The beneficiaries of Panchayat also complained to the ADM supply that the PDS owner blacklisted several beneficiaries from the list who refused to take the inferior quality of Saree- Dhoti in the name of Sona–Sobran Yojna.
The officials said that the licence of the PDS dealer would be cancelled for this fraud.