Shillong, May 23 – The opposition Congress in Meghalaya on Friday accused the State government of depriving food to the people by delaying to provide ration cards to more than a lakh of applicants.

“Had there been no lockdown, there would have been no one to hear or listen to the sorrows of these families who do not have ration cards,” opposition Congress legislator Himalaya Muktan Shangpliang said while raising a Short Duration discussion in the Assembly.

“Why has the government ignored these people? Why was action delayed to provide Ration Cards although many families have applied long back,” he asked, terming the delay of issuing the Ration Cards as a “serious mistake committed by the government depriving food to the people.”

Informing that the whole country is getting ready to implement the ambitious Ration Card Portability Service “One Nation – One Ration”, Shangplaing further asked, “What about Meghalaya? When are we joining the bandwagon? Why are we always behind the deadline?.. Now, how does the State government propose to solve this issue of Ration Cards?”

Stating that the responsibility of the state government is for effective implementation of the National Food Security Act, the Congress legislator alleged discrepancies in the allotment of rice under the open market service scheme, adding that legislators were also denied of the quota.

Shangpliang also informed the assembly on the alleged missing of rice in Mawshynrut area.

Another Congress legislator George B Lyngdoh also pleaded that the state government should reduce the price of rice under the open market service scheme as well as ascertain the number of households that did not access the Targetted Public Distribution System.