Food Minister of Tripura Sushanta Chowdhury announced a bunch of decisions of the Food and Public Procurement Department in a press conference at the Civil Secretariat .
Speaking in the press conference he said:
“Millet will be available in the rationing system in Tripura. Tripura government is thinking like this. Moreover, the BJP-IPFT coalition government has decided to set up district-wise food department infrastructure, convert ration cards into smart cards, convert 765 ration shops into model ration shops and bring ration dealers and their family members under health insurance. Above all, the Tripura government will try to convert the Food and Population Department into a corporation”.
He clarified that although the food department is converted into a corporation, the rationing system will be completely managed by the Tripura government.
On this day, he said, people in Tripura are not deprived of ration items. Everyone is getting ration on time.
According to him, mustard oil will be supplied in ration shops very soon as part of the pre-election promise. Such a decision has been taken. Also, following the footsteps of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Tripura government will insist on increasing the use of millets.
He claimed that Tripura government is going to decide to provide millet in ration. Because, the people of the poor section should not deprived of the benefits of Millet.
According to the Food Minister, currently the work of the Food Department is going on in the offices of each Sub-Divisional Magistrate. Apart from the director’s office, the department has no infrastructure of its own.
Therefore, it has been decided that the infrastructure of district-wise food department will be developed. Subdivisions will be facilitated to work through districts.
He also added that the book of ration card has been going on since long period. Many times consumers have to face difficulties when the book is torn. Therefore, a plan has been taken to convert the ration card into a smart card.
On this day he said that there are 2048 ration shops in Tripura. Among them, 765 ration shops will be converted into model ration shops. For that, the food department will give financial assistance of Rs 10,000 to each ration dealer.
Dealers have to bear the rest of the cost to modernize the ration shop.
Minister Sushanta Chowdhury has announced a historic step of the Food Department today. He said that the Department of Food will be converted into a corporation. In this case, along with the food director, the management director of the corporation will also take forward the work of the food department.
He claimed that the business will be done with the help of the corporation. As transport, electricity, agriculture department is doing business with the help of corporation.
He said clearly, the public distribution system will not be transferred to the corporation. The Tripura government will be responsible for the overall management of the public distribution system.
Meanwhile, Ration Mitra will deliver the ration to the homes of senior consumers, the food department plans.
According to him, there are many elderly consumers who go on rations and face difficulties in procuring items. For them, Ration Mitra will deliver the goods to their homes.
He added, Tripura government has decided to bring 2048 ration dealers and their families under health insurance. The Department of Food and Population will take necessary measures in this regard very soon.
