Ranchi, February 19 JMM MLA Hemlal Murmu raised concerns about a shortage of manpower and the "malfunctioning" of the biometric system in remote areas under the Food and Public Distribution Department in the Jharkhand assembly on Thursday.
The Littipara legislator claimed that there is a shortage of supply officers at the block level and marketing officers in the public distribution system.
He stated that the biometric system, introduced by the department for rations, is "not functioning properly in remote areas due to the lack of internet."
"The biometric system relies on the internet. In several remote areas, there is no internet or cell tower. As a result, consumers face significant difficulties in obtaining their rations. I want to know from the government what measures have been taken to address this problem," Murmu said.
In response to the MLA, Food and Public Distribution Minister Irfan Ansari stated that 255 out of the 260 sanctioned posts for block supply officers were vacant.
"We are recruiting BSOs as a special case. There are also nine vacant positions for marketing officers, and they will be filled soon," Ansari said.
Regarding the biometric system, the minister stated that the Point of Sale (PoS) devices were initially enabled with 2G internet connectivity, but they have now been upgraded with 4G connectivity.
"We hope that consumers will not face any difficulties in obtaining their rations," he said.
During question hour, Jamshedpur West MLA Saryu Roy raised the issue of a shortage of manpower in Bazar Samitis (local markets) across the state.
Out of the 900 sanctioned posts, only 105 people are employed, and they are primarily involved in rent collection.
In response to Roy, Agriculture Minister Shilpi Neha Tirkey stated that a detailed regulation for Bazar Samitis is being drafted.
This regulation aims to provide better markets and prices for farmers.
Dumri MLA Jairam Mahto and Congress legislator Pradeep Yadav raised concerns about the age criteria set in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) 2025 application.
The cut-off date for determining the age of candidates is August 1, 2026. Student organizations have protested against this and demanded that the cut-off date be August 1, 2018. They claim that in the previous civil services examination, the cut-off date was August 1, 2017.
In response to Yadav, parliamentary affairs minister Radhakrishna Kishore stated that the issue was discussed during the previous cabinet meeting, and the chief minister is also concerned about it.
The Jharkhand assembly's budget session began with the speech of Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar on Wednesday.
The session will continue until March 19, with 17 working days.
