In another shameful act related to PDS in India, around 3000 litres of kerosene being illegally transported was seized by the police at Polasara in Ganjam district of Odisha, the police said today.

The kerosene, meant for the public distribution system (PDS), was allegedly transported in a mini-truck yesterday, they said. "The driver of the truck Sushant Sahu was arrested," Sub-divisional Police Officer (Chhatrapur) Shantanu Padhy said. The kerosene was being transported from Dhunkapada near Polasara.

Source - PTI

Rice procurement in the Kharif marketing season 2011-12 (October-September) has crossed the mark of 250 lakh tonne. According to statistics 2,50,24,200 tonne rice has been procured by the various government agencies by February 22, 2012.

Punjab procured 77,31,325 tonne followed by Chhatisgarh 40,54,679 Andhra Pradesh 36,87,335 and Haryana 19,73,875 tonne of rice. This procurement is 1,75,517 tonne more than the corresponding day of last marketing season.

Coutesy - Press Information Bureau

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A meeting of State Food Secretaries of wheat procuring States was held on the 21^st February 2012 under the chairmanship of Union Food Secretary, Dr. B.C. Gupta to review procurement arrangements for the forthcoming Rabi Marketing Season (RMS) 2012-13 in different States.

The estimated procurement during RMS 2-12-13 as intimated by the States is 318.9 lakh MTs as compared to 283.34 lakh MT of actual procurement during RMS 2011-12. The meeting discussed State-wise estimates of procurement. Madhya Pradesh has indicated a record estimate of 65 lakh tonnes of procurement for RMS 2012-13.

The period for procurement of wheat during RMS 2012-13 is between 1st April to 30th June, 2012 for majority of States except Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat where it will start on 15th March. In Bihar and Jammu & Kashmit, the procurement will start from 15th April, 2012.

Arrangements for wheat procurement discussed during the meeting include number of purchase centers to be opened in each State, MSP payment arrangements, as possible as through account payee cheques or bank transfers direct to the farmers, quality control measures, storage and movement of foodgrains etc. States assured that they are fully gear up to make record procurement this time and they are in process of setting up control room to monitor it.

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The Government is considering a Special Purpose Vehicle for transportation of foodgrains from procuring states to consuming states and GPS tracking system to monitoring the movement of foodgrains. Briefing the media persons after the conclusion of two days’ Conference of State Food and Agriculture Ministers here today, Minister of Consumer Affairs & Food and Public Distribution, Prof. K V.Thomas said that States have resolved to modernize the Public Distribution System and create modern storage facilities.

Prof. Thomas said that during deliberations, it was reported by some of the States that there would be massive savings in foodgrains and subsidy amount if biometric-based bar-coded ration cards are issued to the beneficiaries. The intention was to ensure that the fruits of subsidy reach the poor and needy sections of the society and the PDS is streamlined / modernized with the help of modern techniques of Information Technology. It was stated that a Plan Scheme had already been drafted and sent to the Planning Commission for giving financial assistance to the States to computerize the PDS.

He said that the Conference also resolved to create modern storage facilities including 2 MMT of storage in the shape of silos. The States were strongly urged to provide lands for setting up silos and take advantage of the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) scheme of the Government of India.

The purpose of the conference was to provide a common platform to all the key decision makers involved in Food and Public Distribution System of India, from Centre and States / UTs to discuss and debate the various issues in modernizing the TPDS, to arrive at an action plan to be implemented by the various agencies and also to set timelines for completion of the same.

Minister of Consumer Affairs & Food and Public Distribution pointed out that this is the time to act given the huge subsidy of 60-80% on the price of foodgrains. Hence, it is the moral responsibility of all those involved to ensure that it reaches the true beneficiaries at the right time. He complimented the FCI for reducing storage losses from 2.5% to 0.1% through modernization of godowns. He requested all the States to prepare a 5-year prospective plan to create intermediate storage capacity at the district, block, Gram Panchayat and fair price shop level by leveraging existing schemes, both at the Central and State level.

During the deliberations, the Chairman UIDAI expounded on the tremendous possibilities that the Aadhar Scheme held for modernization of TPDS. He also spoke on the recommendation of the task force on reform of PDS and the PDS Network (PDSN).

In the Interactive sessions spread over two days, all the States and Union Territories made their presentation highlighting the issues faced by them and also giving their valuable suggestions for the smooth functioning of the TPDS and storage initiatives. Further, the States elaborated their plans in the direction of achieving transparency, modernization through latest technology and the progress made in the creation of storage. Many States provided details of the best practices evolved by them for improving the efficiency of TPDS, such as the use of coupons, SMS, bar-codes, biometric identification, smart cards, GPS enabled vehicles, etc.

North Eastern States were vocal in their demand for increased financial assistance to meet their transportation cost and to improve their transportation infrastructure. Many of the smaller States asked FCI to procure in their States until such time that they set up their own procurement infrastructure and institutions. Similarly hilly States and NE States also wanted maintenance of 3-4 months buffer stocks at district level as transportation is severely affected during winter and monsoon.

The Conference was attended by Food and Agriculture Ministers from 20 different States / UTs. The Union Finance Minister, Shri Pranab Mukherjee was the Chief Guest. The Agriculture Minister, Shri Sharad Pawar, Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Shri Nandan Nilekani, Chairman, UIDAI and Shri Ajit Seth, Cabinet Secretary were some of the important participants in the Conference.

Source - Press Information Bureau Website Dated 9th Feb 2012

National Food Security Bill, a historic initiative by Central Government Puducherry, February 11, 2012 Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Prof. K.V. Thomas, said that the National Food Security Bill is a historic initiative by the government of India and marks a paradigm shift in food security from welfare to a rights-based approach. This Bill is perhaps the only legislation of its kind in the world, says the Minister.

Prof. K.V. Thomas was addressing the All-India Editors’ Conference on Social Sector Issues (ECSSI) in Puducherry on the 11^th Feb 2012. According to Food Minister, the NFSB seeks to address the issue of food security in a comprehensive manner by adopting a life cycle approach. Prof. Thomas clarified that the additional financial implication of the NFSB is not going to be large. With the current coverage and entitlement and also taking into account estimated allocations under other welfare schemes, the food subsidy for 2012-13 is expected to be about Rs.88997 crore. However, if we were to just update the coverage under TPDS (Targetted Public Distribution System) using 2011 census, the subsidy will be Rs.109795 crore. In comparison, the estimated subsidy requirement under NFSB is Rs.1,12,205 crore, i.e., an additional amount of Rs.2410 crore.

Prof. Thomas said that the perception of some states about the coverage under TPDS provide in the bill being restrictive and which will come in the way of universal PDS for a much higher coverage being implemented by them is misplaced. The Bill only specifies the minimum entitlement under TPDS and places obligations on central and state governments to fulfill them once the Act comes into force. He said that the apprehensions in some States about their food grain allocations under NFSB getting reduced is premature. The issue of state-wise coverage, corresponding the all-India coverage specified in the Bill, is yet to be decided.

The National Consumer Helpline (NCH) received 13,295 calls during December 2011. In addition to these telephonic calls/complaints, 467 complaints were also received through online complaint system on NCH website.

The maximum calls were received from Delhi followed by Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Haryana, Rajasthan, Bihar, Gujarat, ,Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.

Break-up of calls in respect of top five States during December 2011 is as under:

Sl. No.	State	Complaints	Total Calls %age
1	Delhi	3128	23.53
2	Uttar Pradesh	1890	14.22
3	Maharashtra	1794	13.49
4	Haryana	1135	8.54
5	Rajasthan	944	7.1
6	Bihar	742	5.58
7	Gujarat	675	5.08
8	West Bengal	484	3.64
9	Madhya Pradesh	432	3.25
10	Karnataka	354	2.66

The ‘Telecom’ sector recorded maximum complaints i.e. 14.64. It was followed by products ‘LPG’ ‘Banking’ ‘Public Distribution System’ and ‘Insurance’.

As per feedback received from 1109 callers, 1064 complaints were resolved under convergence with various companies.

Consumers from across the country can access the toll free National Consumer Help Line No. 1800-11-400 and seek telephonic counseling for consumer related problems faced by them. The Consumer Helpline also provides information, advice and guidance related to consumer issues. Complaints can be registered also on the website: www.nationalconsumerhelpline.in.

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Retail prices of Gram dal, Tur dal and Moong dal registered decline during the week ending on January 12, 2012. According to data monitored and released by the Department of Consumer Affairs. Prices of most of the pulses declined at most the retail centers while at some centers these were steady. Prices of onion and tomato also register a fall at most of the centers.

According to Ministry of Consumer Affair, Food & Public Distribution, prices of Rice, Wheat, Aata, Milk, Groundnut Oil, Vanaspati and Potato remained steady during the week while marginal increase was seen in the price of Mustard Oil & Gur. 

Prices of the Sugar during the week remained steady at all the reporting centres. Infact at five centres - Delhi, Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Mumbai and Tiruchapalli, there was a decrease in the prices of sugar.

Source - Press Information Bureau Website

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To create additional allocation of foodgrains and to reduce storage under Cover and Plinth (CAP), the Government formulated a Scheme for construction of storage godowns through private entrepreneurs, Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) and State Warehousing Corporations (SWCs).  Under the scheme, the Food Corporation of India would now give a guarantee of ten years for assured hiring to the private entrepreneurs.  A capacity of about 151 lakh tonnes is to be created under the scheme in 19 states.  Out of this as on 15.10.2011 tenders have been finalized for creation of storage capacity of 69 lakh tonnes by the private entrepreneurs. Details of the storage capacities alloted to the states is as under-

Sl. No.	Agency	Total Capacity Approved (MT)
1	Andhra Pradesh	451000
2	Bihar	300000
3	Chattisgarh (DCP)	222000
4	Gujarat	80000
5	Haryana	3880000
6	Himachal Pradesh	142550
7	Jammu and Kashmir	361690
8	Jharkhand	175000
9	Karnataka	416500
10	Madhya Pradesh (DCP)	360000
11	Kerala	15000
12	Maharashtra	655500
13	Odisha (DCP)	300000
14	Punjab	5125000
15	Rajasthan	250000
16	Tamil Nadu	345000
17	Uttarakhand	25000
18	Uttar Pradesh	1,860000
19	West Bengal (DCP)	156000
	Total	15120840

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4^th January 2012: The Government has introduced Consumer Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2011, in Lok Sabha on December 16, 2011, to facilitate quicker disposal of cases and to widen and amplify the scope of some of the provisions of the Act.

The enactment of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, was an important milestone in the field of consumer protection. In terms of the Act, consumer disputes redressal agencies have been set up at the 629 District, 35 State and National levels to render simple, inexpensive and speedy justice to consumers in respect of complaints against defective goods, deficient services and unfair/restrictive trade practices. With a view to faster redressal of complaints and to rationalize procedure of appointments in consumer disputes redressal agencies, it has been felt necessary to amend the Act.

Amendments proposed provide for the following-

On line filing of consumer complaints

Making provision for registering complaint by electronic form (on line filing complaint)- Since the Consumer Forums are being computerized it is proposed to make provision in the law to permit consumers to file complaints as well as pay fee online, which would make the consumer for a move towards e-governance/ time bound redressal.

Enforcement of orders as a Decree of Civil Court

Making provision that an order of the District Forum / State Commission/ National Commission will be enforced as a Decree of a Civil Court- This modification is considered essential in view of the experiences gained during implementation of the amended Act and is intended to deter willful offenders and also to ensure speedy and proper execution of the order of the consumer forums, so that justice to the aggrieved consumers is not frustrated.

Payment to be made for non-compliance of the order

Making provision for payment by every person for not complying of the order of District Forum / State Commission / National Commission of an amount of not less than Rs.500 or 1½ per cent of the value of the amount awarded- whichever is higher, for each day of delay of such non-compliance of the order. This modification is considered essential in view of the experiences gained during implementation of the amended Act and is intended to deter willful offenders and also to ensure speedy and proper execution of the orders of the consumer forums, so that justice to the aggrieved consumers is not frustrated.

Powers to District Forum

Empowering District Forum to function in any other place apart from District HQrs, in consultation with State Government / State Commission - This provision is considered necessary to allow State Governments the flexibility to club neighboring Districts Forum as also give additional charge to President/Members to hear cases in more than one District Forum so as to effectively deal with the non-functionality of Districts Forum caused due to vacancy of President/Member.

Conferring powers to District Forum to issue order to the opposite party to pay reasonable rate of interest on such price or charges as may be decided by the District Forum- This provision is considered necessary to empower the consumer forum to award interest where the consumer has suffered due to protracted litigation.

Powers to State Government in selection process

Empowering State Government to refer back the recommendation of the Selection Committee for making fresh recommendation in order to avoid any delay in the Selection process- This is felt necessary to facilitate quicker filling up of the posts in the Consumer Forums and to avoid the consumer Forum remaining non-functional for long due to such vacancy thereby adversely affecting consumers’ interest.

Increase of age in the appointment

Increasing the minimum age for appointment as Member in the case of State Commissions from 35 to 45 years, and in case of National Commission from 35 to 55 years- This is proposed to improve the quality of persons applying for these posts.

Experience for members

Increasing the period of experience for appointment as Member in the case of State Commission from 10 years to 20 years and in the case of National Commission from 10 years to 30 years-This is proposed in order to improve the quality of persons applying for these posts.

Powers to National Commission / State Commission to direct any one to assist the case

Conferring powers to National Commission / State Commission to direct any individual or organization or expert to assist National Commission / State Commission in the cases of large interest of the consumers- This provision would enable the National Commission or the State Commission, in cases involving the larger interests of the consumers, an opportunity to suo moto enlist the services of an expert or an outside party, in an ongoing case, in the interest of justice.

Monitoring system of pending cases

Conferring powers to Central Government to call upon periodical reports of pending cases from National Commission and to State Government from State Commission or any District Forum- The provision is considered necessary to enable easy availability of data regarding filing and disposal of consumer complaints, which would help in monitoring the functioning of the consumer for a and effectiveness of the law.

The above said amendments proposed in the Act will go a long way in speedy redressal of Consumer grievances and sturdy protection of Consumer rights.

*Source – Press Information Bureau Website.

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