Beneficiaries in Lumtrep Nongjngi village under West Jaiñtia Hills district have been deprived of rice from the public distribution system since February last year.
Irked with the fair price dealer, many women beneficiaries yesterday protested outside the shop to demand their rights, but to no avail.
A complaint letter was also filed today by eight women beneficiaries to the Deputy Commissioner (Supply) against the waheh shnong and the vigilance committee of the village, who are the PDS dealers, for arbitrarily increasing the price of the subsidised rice from Rs 3 to Rs 4 per kilo.
On February 15, 2022 the first complaint was made by Linda Nongkrem, a resident of the village on the matter. Acting on the complaint, the government removed the dealer, Pyniaiddame Pale, and a Supply Inspector distributed the rice directly to the villagers.
Again on May 6, 2022 Nongkrem had written another complaint letter saying that the price hike had been in place since February. Those who refused to pay the inflated rate were denied their ration. The dealer had even reportedly ignored an instruction from the Deputy Commissioner’s office in this matter.
The complaint filed today had signatories of eight women from the Nongkrem clan, who urged the DC to resolve the issue and ensure they get their rights.
