CPI (M) exposes loopholes in public distribution system in Andhra Pradesh

CPI (M) city leaders produce before mediapersons women who have allegedly been denied ration cards or civil supplies, at press conference in Vijayawada on Monday.

VIJAYAWADA: The CPI (M) has hit out at the officials once again for cancelling “genuine ration cards” in the name of bogus ones and suspending the supply of essential commodities on some of the cards.

The party will stage a dharna in front of the civil supplies office at Gandhinagar on Thursday demanding restoration of cards to all eligible beneficiaries, said Ch. Babu Rao, CPI (M) State committee member and floor leader in the VMC general body, at a press conference on Monday.

A few women whose cards were either cancelled or who were not being given rations turned up at the press conference to narrate their woes to the media.

Mr. Babu Rao alleged that the officials had so far cancelled 42,000 cards by branding them as “bogus” during the verification drive.

Of these, 19,000 were re-examined and 13,211 restored.

Though 6,827 new cards were given, rations were not being given to the beneficiaries because of unavailability of iris and other relevant data of the cards. The officials had deliberately cut down by half the essential supplies like rice, sugar and wheat.

“This entire process makes one suspect that the government has done the weeding out of cards with a purpose,” he said.

Mr. Babu Rao asserted that most of the cards cancelled belonged to genuine beneficiaries.

Re-examination

Though they were being given an opportunity to apply for re-examination, they were being threatened in a veiled manner by saying that criminal action will be initiated if the information furnished was not correct.

The CPI (M) leader accused the officials of not following any reason or rhyme while verifying and cancelling the cards.

The same officials who were turning a blind eye to the commercial use of domestic LPG were harassing the poor in the name of verification, he said.

(Courtesy : The Hindu)

Caste system a hypocrisy : B V Raghavulu

CPI (M) State secretary B. V. Raghavulu escorted Dalits into the temple at Hanavole near Adoni in Kurnool district on Monday as part of the campaign against untouchability.

Mr. Raghavulu accompanied by a handful of Dalit families entered the temples of Anjaneya Swamy and Laxminarasimha Swamy and offered prayers.

Tension prevailed in the village as the CPI(M) leaders attempted to do some thing radical for the first time. Earlier, he advocated local barber Mahanandiah to shave the beard of Dalits.

He volunteered but the family members of the barber tried to oppose it on the ground that they might invite the wrath of other villagers and may lose livelihood.

Mr. Raghavulu himself cut the hair symbolically to infuse confidence in Mahananadiah who did the rest of the job. Later, the CPI(M) leaders moved into Dalit locality and had lunch with the families.

Campaign

The CPI (M) leaders chose Hanavole as their place of campaign as several forms of untouchability were still prevalent in the village.

Dalits were denied entry to temples and were served food in the separate plates and glasses in the local roadside hotels.

Deputy SP and other senior officers were in the village when the CPI (M) leaders were around. They said they were for implementing the law and protecting the Dalits rights.

Meanwhile, addressing the gathering, Mr. Raghavulu said caste system was bane of Indian society and India could not progress without giving equal rights to all. He said a country developed only when people developed. India was the only country which discriminated people in the name of caste.

He said caste system was only a hypocrisy which prevailed only in villages. He wanted to know whether any patient asked for the caste of the blood donor or a customer asked for the caste of the cook in a star hotel before eating the food there.

CPI (M) district secretary T. Shadrak, Kula Vivaksha Vyathireka Porata Samithi leader Anandbabu and others were present.

(Courtesy : The Hindu)