Food security activists in Jharkhand are pained at the difference between the government's claim in the state Assembly on the implementation of the National Food Security Act, 2013, and stark realities at the ground level.

The activists have flagged a reply by the Jharkhand food, and civil supplies department on Wednesday during the monsoon session of the state Assembly about payment of food security allowances and action against ration dealers.Khadya Suraksha Jan Adhikar Manch — a forum of civil society organisations working for the proper execution of food security and other public welfare schemes in West Singhbhum district — in its Twitter handle shared a reply given by the food, civil supplies and consumer affairs additional secretary Jyoti Kumari Jha to a question posed by CPM MLA from Bagodar, Vinod Singh, on the widespread irregularities in distribution of ration.

“We have tagged the Twitter post to chief minister Hemant Soren and Singhbhum MP Geeta Koda. We are surprised that on one hand, the government claims in the state Assembly that food grains are being allotted to the public distribution system (PDS) dealers regularly and if the ration cardholder is not getting the full ration, it means embezzlement is taking place. The government also says that if the card holders lodge a complaint against not getting the full ration, they will get a food security allowance and action has to be taken against the PDS dealers. But the ground reality is totally different,” said Siraj Dutta, a Ranchi-based Right to Food campaign activist.

“Despite repeated complaints, neither the arrears of ration nor allowances have been received by the complainants in West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand, nor action has been taken against the guilty. We have shown the proof through a thread on our Twitter post. Why is there such a gap between the government’s answer in the Assembly and the ground reality?” asked Dutta.NFSA 2013 converts into legal entitlements for existing food security programmes of the Government of India. It includes the midday meal scheme, integrated child development services scheme and the public distribution system.

“We have seen instances of ration card holders complaining at public hearings in Tonto block of West Singhbhum held in June but neither has any action been taken against the PDS dealers nor have the victims been given allowances or their food grains so far. Similarly in the Khuntpani block of the same district, there were large-scale complaints of food grain irregularities since March this year and people sat on dharna too. But no action has been taken,” added Dutta.People in other districts of the state face almost similar problems, said right to food activists in Ranchi.