Redefining Government

The state has launched a number of innovative schemes for rural welfare to make a difference where it matters.
There were times when Raghunath Bhoye and his family could not even think of eating three square meals a day. But ever since he enrolled in the state Government’s Antyodaya scheme, things have changed considerably.

The scheme, launched to cut down rampant pilferage in the public distribution system in rural areas, has made it imperative for the local revenue officers to first assess the requirements of the villagers and then collect money to provide the same.

Food quotas for three-six months are distributed to those living below the poverty line in front of the village gram sabha. “The scheme ensures that women in the family control the utilisation of food grain and eliminates the role of fair price shops,” says Shekhar Gaikwad, additional collector of Nashik. Click http://indiatoday.digitaltoday.in/index.php?issueid=39&id=1554&option=com_content&task=view&sectionid=19

New scheme to stop PDS pilferage

News when I initiated New scheme to stop PDS pilferage

To plug loopholes in the Public Distribution System (PDS), a pilot project in Nashik district, in Maharashtra state, will deliver foodgrain almost to the consumer’s doorstep.

Under the scheme, which will be launched soon in 40 villages in Surguna taluka, Nashik district, those entitled to foodgrain under the PDS will no longer have to trudge every month to the ration shop, which is often many miles away. Instead, local revenue officers will visit the villages, assess the quantity of grain required, and collect money for the same. The next day, the local PDS shop-owner and the officers will distribute the grain before the village gram sabha. The same method will be adopted for the distribution of kerosene.

This will help eliminate fake beneficiaries whose quota is siphoned off into the black market. The PDS shopkeeper will not be able to take the grain to his shop, but must take it directly to the village. The grain will be given in sealed 50 kg sacks to cut down on any pilferage en route.

Cheating in the PDS has led to the loss of huge sums of money to the state exchequer, and to malnutrition among poor families. In 2003-04, 14.07 million tonnes of subsidised grain was issued to the 16 large states for delivery to below the poverty line (BPL) families. Only 5.93 million tonnes was actually delivered. A whopping 8.14 million tonnes of subsidised foodgrain did not reach the poor. June 4, 2007 http://www.empowerpoor.org/relatednews.asp?report=561. This scheme has become so popular by May 2008 we have implemented this scheme in 115 villages of Nashik district, delivering about 1200 quintals of foodgrain at doorstep to 37000 families.

Hearty Congratulations

Hearty Congratulations!It is very worthy.We were waiting for such blog from long time...

Dr. Arjun Chikhale, Deputy Collector, Nashik

Welcome All

I heartily welcome all to this blogspot. This is an attempt to bring all the knowledge and practice of public administration to public domain.

'Food Passport' for Migrants

Fortunately, the Additional Collector Shekhar Meshram Gaikwad proved to be sensitive, and agreed to talk with the migrants. The migrant workers participated in the discussions enthusiastically. Vimalbai Pagar, Janka Bhoye, Baba Tathe, Maruti Labde and others presented their side of the story very lucidly.Their efforts bore fruit and application forms were issued. But the migrants were unable to furnish income proof or submit the employers' recommendation. Again, the group held discussions with the PDS officials on it and the rules were relaxed.There were other problems too - after intense lobbying, the group fought for and got permanent ration cards for 185 migrant workers in Nashik. But each time they had to buy food, they were expected to return back to their native place. This did not suit the migrants who had to stay most of the year in Nashik. By Aparna Pallavi November 6, 2005 http://www.boloji.com/wfs4/wfs483.htm

Enough Supply Ensured

Petrol supply to Nashik district returning to normalcy seemed to be a never ending story, despite all the promises of the district administration and officers of petrol companies, that the supply would be restored soon. The problem started on Friday and very little change in the situation was observed except that petrol stations did the business turn-by-turn. On Monday again the district administration tried to explain to the media that the supply from depots had picked up and the situation would be normal soon. 

Click to know more- http://www.nasiktimes.com/fullStory.asp?articleID=NATI1ART05282008122126

Land disputes among Farmers

Mr. Shekhar Gaikwad visited MIT-SOG for an interactive session on the topic of “Land Disputes among farmers.” He started his presentation by throwing light on importance of land for human being from pre-historic times. Land has been a matter of dispute from very long. Later he illustrated about the change in the concept of property and importance of land record for land owner, tenant, cultivator and administration. He told that regarding land there are 3279 Central Acts in India and 30000 Acts of various states. Exact number of Acts made by legislative bodies is still not known. He talked about various reasons behind land disputes. Some of which are not keeping given word, ignorance of laws, and social causes like ambition, jealousy, enmity, social reasons and administrative Lapses. He concluded his lecture by differentiating between possession of land and ownership of land. He satisfied all the queries of the participants at the end of the session.Mr. Shekhar Gaikwad visited MIT-SOG for an interactive session on the topic of “Land Disputes among farmers.” He started his presentation by throwing light on importance of land for human being from pre-historic times. Land has been a matter of dispute from very long. Later he illustrated about the change in the concept of property and importance of land record for land owner, tenant, cultivator and administration. He told that regarding land there are 3279 Central Acts in India and 30000 Acts of various states. Exact number of Acts made by legislative bodies is still not known. He talked about various reasons behind land disputes. Some of which are not keeping given word, ignorance of laws, and social causes like ambition, jealousy, enmity, social reasons and administrative Lapses. He concluded his lecture by differentiating between possession of land and ownership of land. He satisfied all the queries of the participants at the end of the session. http://www.mitsog.com/htmls/programs/masters_batch_03.html