Assistant Director (AD) Mills Jammu, Dr Alka Misra is on a Mission to bring change to the functioning of the mills

Mohd Irfan

The Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs department ( FCS&CA) deals with essential commodities, Yes I am saying about flour and rice, the department’s pivotal role is to ensure their supply to its PDS consumers. The important aspect that is required to be taken into consideration is that PDS flour is being consumed by the Middle-class society as such a department should ensure that the quality of flour is of good quality. More so, the price of flour in the open market is double the PDS price which pinch the middle class society when they have to buy the same from the market. This is the mitigating factor and attenuating circumstances that the department takes cognizance of.

For ensuring the flour is of good quality officials have a key role to play because officers can able to check the quality of flour in the Mills where the wheat is being ground to convert it into flour. Officers of the department are required to keep strict vigil over the different flour mills to whom contract has been given grinding wheat into flour. If the officers of the department do laxly or do not check upon the working of the Mills then the quality of flour would not be of good quality as such officers are required to note that they check the Mills’ functioning meaning that they are adhering to the prescribed norms of grinding wheat failing which it’s the gullible consumers who have to bear the brunt for no fault of theirs.

The new incumbent Director of the Food Supply Department is a Female officer Rifat Kohli who has given this assignment of this post trying her level best to ensure that she could do Justice with this post in terms of coming to the expectations of the public at large. Being a Director of the department she has a duty cast upon her shoulders to do Justice with the people and ensure that the PDS Flour should be of good quality. We observed after taking over the reign of this post Director Food brought the change in the quality of the PDS flour from the earlier inferior quality. This has been observed by the consumers who witnessed the change from the earlier one.

It is pertinent to mention here that there is a particular post in the department that is Assistant Director (AD) Mills who has a key role to play in keeping a check over the functioning of the Mills. This AD Mills who is also a Female officer namely Dr Alka Misra desperate to bring reforms in the department as she conducted a visit to the Mills to oversee their functioning which is considered to be a good move or we can say that we hailed her that she checked the functioning so that the different Mills which are being checked by her whether they are complying with the norms or not.

There is a need to ask the AD Mills what remained her priorities since the day she assumed the charge of this post coupled with after conducting the checking of the Mills. Whether all the Mills have complied with the norms or not. If not comply then any fine has been imposed on them or any warning has been given?

AD Mills Dr Alka Misra while talking to this scribe acknowledged the fact that it’s true that our department dealt with the essential commodities adding, If we don’t ensure the supply of PDS ration of good quality then what is the fun of holding the post and consumers would suffer if we failed to provide the ration. “I am trying my level best that the gullible consumers would get good quality PDS flour” AD Mills vehemently said adding, after assuming the charge of this post that no loopholes would come in the quality of PDS Flour “She lamented. On being asked that if the PDS Flour is of inferior quality then what remedy is available to the gullible consumers, Dr. Alka vociferously divulged that as already toll-free numbers have been given by the department where in the aggrieved would call rather consumers also call me and I redress their grievance “She lamented.

To a question if the different millers who have been given contracts by your department don’t comply with the norms, AD Mills said one thing I say that it all depends upon the determination of the officer as to how to bring change in the department and now there taking place change in the working of the Mills”, she added.