Expedite process of issuing ration cards in Kamrup (M): Gauhati High Court

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The Gauhati High Court has directed Assam's Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs as well as the Deputy Commissioner of Kamrup (M) to expeditiously verify each and every application submitted for issue of ration cards and, after due verification, pass appropriate orders for grant of ration card to such families who are found eligible in accordance with law.

The court has stated in a recent order that the decision on the pending applications for grant of ration cards should be taken "preferably by March 31, 2023".

This directive came in response to a Public Interest Litigation filed by one Syeda Mehzabin Rahman. The petitioner had sought, among other things, that the court should issue a directive to the Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Department to expeditiously and in a time-bound manner dispose of the applications for ration cards made by 203 households of the Uzanbazar, Bharalumukh, Santipur and Bhootnath areas in Guwahati by issuing ration cards to them. The petitioner further sought a directive for conducting a survey in the entire Kamrup (M) district to identify poor households which do not have ration cards and to issue ration cards to them and, during the course of the survey, invite applications from such households through rigorous advertisement.

In its order, the court also directed the Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Department to implement the provisions of the National Food Security Act, 2013 in its letter and spirit and to provide food grains in accordance with law to the poor households which do not possess ration cards. In this context, the court further directed that an advertisement be published in local newspapers informing general public as to who shall be the beneficiaries under the provisions of the National Food Security Act, 2013. The Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Department has been also directed to display the information outside every fair price shop, office of the District Supply Offices and at prominent places for attention of public at large.

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