Madras HC for restricting free rice to BPL families alone
Chennai, Nov 22: The Madras High Court Thursday observed that free PDS rice given to ration card-holders should be restricted only to the families below the poverty line who really deserve such assistance.
It also said while it was obligatory on the part of the government to provide bare necessities like rice and other groceries to the needy and poor people, successive governments had extended such benefits to all people for political benefits.
Consequently, people began to expect everything for free from the government. As a result, they have become lazy, and migrant workers were being brought for even menial works, a bench comprising Justice N Kirubakaran and Justice Abdul Quddhose lamented.
It made the observations on a petition challenging detention under the Goondas Act of a person accused of smuggling and selling PDS rice, while taking note of the government's submission that free rice was given to all holders of ration cards, irrespective of their economic status.
In the year 2017-18, Rs 2,110 crores had been spent for distribution of free rice, the government said.
The judges said it was high time to restrict the distribution of free rice only to the BPL families and directed Advocate General Vijay Narayan to get instructions from the government as to whether the public distribution scheme could be amended so that others could be excluded.
In its interim order, the bench also sought to know if any survey had been conducted to identify BPL families, and if so, the number of BPL families and the volume of rice required for supply only to the BPL people and the value of the rice.
Observing that the amount spent on free rice scheme was huge, the bench said, "This court is not against the distribution of rice to the really deserving, economically backward and poor people. However, it should not be given to people irrespective of their economic status."
The government spent more than Rs 2,000 crores which would be like "capital loss" and the expenditure occurs every year and it is "recurring capital loss", the bench added.
"If the scheme benefits people other than poor people/BPL family, it would amount to unjustly enriching other people at the cost of public exchequer," the court said.
"The free rice should be given to the families which are below the poverty line alone and they have to be the beneficiaries," it said.
The bench directed the the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation to file its annual reports for the past 10 years and posted the matter for further hearing to November 30.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
