Gujarat ropes in school staff to identify workers without ration cards, distribute food kits

The survey underway from April 2 — with the help of other government departments such as sales tax — was undertaken by teaching and non-teaching staff on Friday.




Even as free ration kits were distributed at fair price shops across Gujarat between April 1 and 3 amid the national lockdown, the state government has now roped in teaching and non-teaching staff — of government and grant-in-aid schools — to conduct a survey under its ‘Anna Brahm’ scheme, aimed at identifying beneficiaries other than ration card holders under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).

The survey underway from April 2 — with the help of other government departments such as sales tax — was undertaken by teaching and non-teaching staff on Friday. The survey will identify migrant labourers, workers, homeless and the poor without a ration card, especially in urban pockets and peripheral industrial areas inhabited by workers who are presently unemployed.

In an order issued by the state Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs department on Thursday, the survey under the ‘Anna Brahm’ scheme of the state government, is to be undertaken within the peripheral areas of the schools by their staff. All District Education Officers (DEO) — both city and rural, District Primary Education Officers (DPEO) and Administrative Officers (AO) of municipal schools have been directed to depute teaching and non-teaching staff of schools to undertake the survey.

Since the survey has been on for last two days, the distribution of food kits weighing of 8 kilogramme will commence on April 4 and continue till 6.

“Nearly 20,000 households have been identified within the city for which the distribution will start tomorrow. We are putting in additional staff and two more days for the survey of non-ration card migrant labourers and workers without work at present,” said DI Parmar, Food Controller, Ahmedabad city.

On extending the server period and roping in more staff, Parmar said, “Since the area is wide and densely populated, we have to survey a specific community which is not located at one place. In times of the lockdown, it is difficult to locate and identify the beneficiaries.”

Nearly 3,500 staff of the education department from Ahmedabad alone will be undertaking this survey from Saturday. The areas under focus include industrial peripheral areas of Ahmedabad such as Naroda, Narol, Sarkhej, Juhapura, Bapunagar, Amraiwadi and Vastral.

“We held a meeting of all (school) principals on Friday evening and prepared teams that will undertake this survey under the Anna Brahm scheme. School principals have been made the nodal authorities,” said president of Ahmedabad Schools Principal Association,Rakeshsinh Rathod.

The surveyors will identify the beneficiaries, fill forms to record their details and hand them token numbers or receipts bearing the form number. On producing these token numbers or receipts at the designated centres, the beneficiaries will be handed the food kits, starting from Saturday.

The daily activity of surveys and distribution of token numbers and kits has to be recorded, stated the state government’s order.

? The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

For all the latest Coronavirus Outbreak News, download Indian Express App.

Source: Read Full Article