Probe says old woman didn’t die of hunger, minister wants new inquiry
JAMSHEDPUR: Jharkhand food, public distribution, and consumer affairs minister Saryu Roy on Monday ordered a fresh and detailed inquiry into the reasons why 86-year-old Biren Diggi died.
Diggi, a resident of Gutusai Tollah, Porahat village, under Sonua block of West Singhbhum district, had not got her rations for three months. However, her death on Friday was attributed to “old-age ailments”, not hunger, by the report of the West Singhbhum deputy commissioner. The report said that the aged woman had been suffering for the past two weeks.
“I have asked the department secretary for a further detailed inquiry as to the reasons why the deceased woman or other people in adjacent villages didn’t receive [their] ration for the past three months. This exposes serious loopholes in our system and underlines the need to fix accountability. An overhaul of the system will help us ensure that food grain reaches the beneficiaries on time,” Roy told HT over the phone from Dhanbad.
The minister refuted the suggestion that rations could not be distributed to the people of Gutusai and adjacent villages as the e-POS (electronic point of sale) machine was defunct. “This is rubbish,” he said. “We have posted POS machine mechanics at every district headquarters, and such defunct machines should be repaired within 24 hours.”
“We are also putting in place a system under which ration dealers will now have to visit the houses of lonely men and women and find out why they’re not taking the ration — whether he/she is ill or if there is any other reason. In such cases, dealers will have to deliver the ration at the doorsteps of such lonely beneficiaries and the dealers will be paid for this,” added the minister.
State food supply and consumer affairs secretary Amitabh Kaushal said that the West Singhbhum deputy commissioner’s report would be studied before deciding on the next course of action. “We have received the DC’s report and studying it. We will take appropriate action on the basis of it. As per the report, the woman was 86 years old, according to her Aadhaar card,” said Kaushal.