PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Pithoragarh
For many families living in Pithoragarh, a routine visit to the local ration shops ended up in their return in disappointment and anger. “The rice to be distributed among us was found rotten with insects crawling in the sacks,” said an anguished resident.
Echoing the same grievance, another resident said that as they had entered the ration shop, they smelt the rotten rice. “We consume the rice we get via public distribution system. But we refused to take the rotten rice. If we consumed these we would have fallen sick. So we returned, empty-handed,” he said.
The PDS beneficiaries who belong to the economically unprivileged section of the society said in unison that such negligence on the part of the departmental officers and employees dealt a great blow to those who rely entirely on subsidised food for survival. “We want the PDS authorities to deal with us responsibly. We are poor, but we cannot compromise on our dignity and health,” asserted an elderly PDS beneficiary from this mountainous town.
