Bhubaneswar: In an aim to streamline public distribution system (PDS) and paddy procurement, the state government Tuesday brought Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare (FS&CW) department under Mo Sarkar.
Announcing this, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said, “My government is people’s government. Nobody could be more important than people themselves. Mo Sarkar initiative demands accountability of the highest order from the public servants.”
FS&CW is one of the most important departments of the state government that has engaged about 3.30 crore beneficiaries – nearly 79 per cent of the state’s population – with food security provisions, he said.
Describing the objective of Mo Sarkar, Naveen said it is an innovative governance initiative that has caught the imagination of all, including policy makers and the general public. It aims at developing a mindset among the public servants that treats the general public with dignity, and is ready to provide service with absolute professionalism, he stated.
The Chief Minister said the portability system in PDS implemented in Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) is encouraging. This will empower beneficiaries to have their choice in collecting ration from any shop. He asked the department to replicate the system in the entire state.
Stating home delivery of ration to old, infirm, differently-abled, terminally ill and other similar persons is a very benevolent step, Naveen advised the department officials to identify more such beneficiaries who are in need of this service and provide ration at their doorsteps.
He also suggested to encourage participation of women SHGs as retailers in the PDS.
“Field officials must ensure that not a single eligible and deserving person is deprived of ration. At the same time, intensive effort must be put in place to sanitise the database of beneficiaries. All these transformational initiatives will be fruitful if officers deliver public services in a professional manner,” he added.
During the programme, FS&CW Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain said that the department is committed to serve the people in a professional manner. “We have developed and put in place an efficient feedback system for the purpose”, he added. Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy said that accountability is the soul of the Mo Sarkar initiative.
The government will reward or punish an employee depending on the kind of feedback received. If the feedback till now is any indication, the future of the Mo Sarkar initiative looks very bright, Tripathy added.
5T Secretary VK Pandian interacted with officers of the department and said that anybody who comes to a government office is a beneficiary under Mo Sarkar.