MF AHMAD
Daltonganj, July 20: The two member team of the State Food Commission comprising its chairman Himanshu Shekhar Chowdhury and Shabnam Perween had a tough time taking queries from the media at a press meet held today in the new circuit house.
The chairman took a long time to explain that he has asked the mukhiyas to count the number of the PDS dealers in their panchayats, number of the anganwadi kendras and number of visiting lactating mothers, pregnant women and kids up to 5 years.
The battery of media persons was restive as this exercise to count or collect the data was irrelevant when such information is a mere finger touch away on Palamu website.
Chowdhury kept on talking and his poor narrative failed to showcase the impact of his visit on the food front or how the mess in the public distribution system would be stemmed by the visit of the commission.
He conceded at one point of time that it is to be seen if this commission has succeeded in making a rapport with the masses or it has failed to do so.
A senior journalist of a national Hindi daily was very tersely reminded by the chairman not to talk on the cell phone at the press conference. The chairman said quite loudly that when he was himself a journalist he did not take even urgent calls during press conferences. His recollections of his bygone days were seen as unwarranted.
The chairman’s discomfort was most evident when he had to answer the queries from the media. When asked what he found most glaring discrepancy or complaint in Palamu, he said that the people here are very much aware of their right to food or ration.
He gave an impression that as people here are more aware and conscious, the plethora of the complaints are all due to it. He refused to admit that the mess has nothing to do with the level of awareness of the ration card holders.
Asked if he or the other lady member of the team found time to inquire about the door step delivery of ration to the primitive tribal groups, the chairman drew a blank passing the baton to the district supply officer to explain. The hapless district supply officer putting a brave face asserted that the door step delivery is smoothly going on.
The chairman, however, assured that he would be pushing off to the hamlets of the primitive tribal groups to know about their ration issue on Thursday.
On a query regarding the presence of ghost ration cards in Palamu, his answer was again a big no. Though he himself said that the commission has received complaints of rich people having ration cards and that they grabbed ration meant for the poor.
However, the chairman of the commission was most frank and free when he said the purpose of holding the press meet was to get the feedback from the media persons about the status of the Right to Food Act here.
The chairman looked desirous to have a ground report but sources said the tour of the commission was a ‘guided one’ here.
