4 Odisha govt employees suspended for NFSA violation

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Kendrapara, Aug 26:

The Odisha government has suspended four of its employees, including a policeman in Kendrapara district, for registering themselves for digitized ration cards under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in violation of the rules, officials said here today.

The employees suspended on Tuesday are a police constable, two teachers of government-run primary schools and a grade IV employee of Rajkanika Tehsil in the district.

Since state and central government employees are not eligible for benefits under the NFSA scheme, government employees who had applied for ration cards had been directed to voluntarily withdraw their applications, said Kendrapara district collector Debraj Senapati.

He said those who had failed to do so were placed under suspension in accordance with the provisions of section 10 (1) of the NFSA.

The collector said ineligible applicants who figure in the exclusion criteria should withdraw their applications at the earliest failing which the administration would be forced to take legal action against them.

Recently, the Ganjam district administration had suspended nine government employees for the same offence.

Provisions under the NFSA excludes government employees, income tax payers, persons having vehicles including two wheelers, business with TIN (taxpayer identification number), households with electricity consumption of above 300 units per month, persons having power tillers, fishing boats or other heavy vehicles and professional tax payers from availing benefits under the NFSA scheme.