NFSA Fiasco: FIRs Registered Against 3,957 Ineligible Beneficiaries

BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha government has registered FIRs against 3,957 ineligible beneficiaries for availing food grains under National Food Security Act.

The Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare (FS&CW) Department has registered FIRs against 3,957 ineligible beneficiaries for illegally registering their names and recovered Rs 292,90,421 so far.

The Department has included 3.19 crore beneficiaries of 85,4,914 families under the NFSA so far.

Notably, the state government has decided to initiate criminal proceedings against the ineligible beneficiaries.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, in collectors’ conference held recently, had asked the official to remove ineligible recipients on a continuous basis and replace them with deserving beneficiaries.

He had also asked to initiate both criminal and departmental action against ineligible beneficiaries as well as government functionaries and PRI members who have indulged in the inclusion of ineligible persons.

The government has aimed at excluding all ineligible beneficiaries by July-end this year.