Special exemption should be given for taking PDS ration in snow-hit areas : Kisan Sabha

In snow-covered areas, POS machines remain out of order due to lack of electricity

In a joint statement, Himachal Kisan Sabha Kasumpti Mashobra Regional Committee President Jai Shiv Thakur and Secretary Dalip Singh have demanded from the government that special exemption should be given to people in snow-covered areas for getting ration through Public Distribution System (PDS). They said that due to heavy snowfall, electricity is out in most of the areas due to which e-POS machines and network problems have arisen and ration card holders have to return disappointed. Many times, due to POS machines malfunctioning, consumers are not able to get ration on time.
Shiv Thakur explained that in the bitterly cold weather, people travel from far away to collect rations, but despite standing in line for hours, they are forced to return empty-handed. He explained that according to government regulations, rations are distributed only until the 30th of each month. If a consumer is unable to collect their rations on time due to technical, natural, or transportation reasons, their rations lapse, and the previous rations are not distributed the following month. This is causing a double blow to the poor, laborers, and needy families.
Himachal Kisan Sabha has demanded that in the villages and panchayats of Kasumpti area and Mashobra block adjacent to Shimla capital, where roads get closed during snowfall, electricity remains off and e-POS machines are not able to charge and operate, immediate alternative arrangements should be ensured in PDS for such areas, such as permission for offline or manual distribution in case of machine breakdown, additional dates of distribution in special circumstances and special exemption should be given for disaster affected areas so that no eligible family is deprived of ration.