Staff reporter :
Seven lakh out of the total 50 lakh OMS cards, distributed during the closure declared by the government due to Covid-19 pandemic, were found to be fake, Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder admitted to a parliamentary body.
The minister revealed this information at a meeting of the parliamentary standing committee on food ministry on September 24 and the meeting minutes were approved at the meeting of the parliamentary standing committee held on Wednesday.
The minister at that meeting also said an initiative has been taken to formulate a smart OMS card through the government’s Information and Communication Technology Department to curb irregularities and corruption.
Talking to reporters on Wednesday, Majumder said: “We have collected relevant information from all areas. Efforts were taken to prepare a smart card so that irregularities that had taken place during the Covid-19 period do not recur.” Due to growing numbers of marginalised and distressed people following Covid-19 pandemic, the government increased the number of ration cards from 50 million to one crore, to provide rice at Tk 10 per kg through special OMS.
In this context, as per directives of the prime minister on March 25, price of rice was fixed at Tk 10 instead of Tk 30 at the consumer level through OMS.
But the special OMS programme was suspended in April. Later, in a directive sent to the Deputy Commissioners, it was said that a list of the poor and low-income people who do not have a food-friendly programme card will be prepared and they will be given rice at Tk 10 per kg through special OMS.
During the sale of special OMS, media reported about the embezzlement of huge quantity of rice distributed under the special OMS and food-friendly programmes in different parts of the country.
Government officials along with people’s representatives in different parts of the country were involved in embezzling the rice, according to media reports.
