Revolutionising Law Reporting !
 |
 |
 |
| Install Now! | Install Now! | Install Now! |
Chhattisgarh Public Distribution System (Control) Order, 2004
Published vide Notification No. F-13-8/food/2004/29, dated 23.12.2004
Last Updated 19th October, 2019 [cg131]
(a) "Central order" means Public Distribution System (Control) Order, 2001;
(b) "State Government" means Government of Chhattisgarh;
(c) "Director" means Director of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection, Chhattisgarh;
(d) "Collector" means the Collector of the district and includes any other officer authorized by the State Government to perform all or any of the functions of the Collector under this order;
(e) "Fair Price Shop" means a shop setup by the State Government with agreement for supply of essential commodities to ration cardholders of Public Distribution System under this Order;
(f) "Public Distribution System" means the system for distribution of essential commodities to the ration cardholders through the Fair Price Shops, such as rice, wheat, sugar, kerosene and salt and such other commodities as notified by the State Government under clause (a) of section 2 of the Act;
(g) "Ration Card" includes the following ration cards : -
(i) Ration card issued to families above the poverty line;
(ii) Ration card issued to families below the poverty line;
(iii) Ration card issued to Antodaya families (the poorest families identified by State Government);
(iv) Ration card issued to destitute families under Annapoorna Yojana;
(v) Other ration card issued for any specific objective under any Central or State Government scheme.
3. Identification of families living below the poverty line. - (1) State Government shall formulate suitable guidelines for the purpose of identification of families living below the poverty line (BPL) including the Antyodaya families. Till the preparation of new list in forthcoming years, the present list shall be valid. (2) Gram Sabha in rural areas, local bodies of urban areas, authority of Special Area Development Authority and Cantonment Board of Cantonment Area shall get the lists of below poverty line & Antyodaya families reviewed every year for the purpose of deletion of the name of ineligible families and inclusion of the name of eligible families. (3) At the instruction of the State Government the Gram Sabha and local representative bodies shall finalize the list of below poverty line families, Antyodaya families & beneficiaries of Annapoorna Yojana within their respective jurisdiction. (4) In case any irregularity is found in the identification of eligible beneficiaries and the issuance of the ration card and people ineligible for the particular scheme (BPL, Annapoorna or Antodaya) are found to have been given such card or people eligible for receiving these cards have not been included under these schemes, action will be taken under the provisions of the Essential Commodities Act. 4. Ration card. - (1) State Government shall issue distinctive ration cards for each scheme. Ration cards shall be issued after application of beneficiary family received in the form prescribed by Director. The primary purpose of the Public Distribution System is to ensure food security to all vulnerable citizens and the ration card is a means of doing so. Therefore, ration cards will also be provided to all residents whose legal title to their place of residence is disputed by the State (e.g. Forest dwellers, urban encroachers). (2) Permanent address of homeless and destitute persons shall not be required in the prescribed proforma. Instead of the permanent address, their address could be shown as "care of' the nearest ration shop. (3) Ration Cards will also be issued to all residents of urban settlements even if they do not have tenurial rights over the property that they live in. This will be valid for all eligible residents of "encroached" government land. (4) Residents of forest villages who are resident on "encroached" or disputed forest land will also be issued ration cards. (5) State Government shall take regular action to cancel all bogus ration cards. (6) Ration card of families living above poverty line (APL) shall be issued by the Gram Panchayat in rural areas, in urban areas, by Local Bodies; Authority of Special Area Development Authority and Cantonment Board of Cantonment areas shall prepare and issue ration cards to consumers in their respective jurisdiction. Distinctive ration cards shall be issued by the officer authorized by the Collector to families living below poverty line (BPL). (7) Present ration cards issued under different schemes shall be valid till its cancellation. (8) No person shall, -(a) apply for or receive ration card when a ration card has already been issued in her/his name or any member of her/his family and her/his or her/his family members name has been made mentioned in it;
(b) give incorrect details or information while applying for a family card;
(c) willfully alter or destroy, deface or permit to be defaced any of the entries on the family card.
(9) Respective office/body/official shall issue the ration card after necessary inspection and verification within one month of receiving the application. A copy of the application and inspection report shall be given to the Fair Price Shop. All applications and inspection reports shall be maintained in a register and shall be compulsorily produced on demand of the inspection officer. (10) The holder of a ration card shall get the same registered with concerned Fair Price Shop. The ration cardholder can obtain essential commodities of Government Schemes after the submission of ration card from the Fair Price Shop, where the ration card is registered. (11) If State Government shall not provide ration card or make alteration in entries as requested by the card holder within a month, then the concerned authority shall intimate the cause of the delay to the applicant in writing. (12) The Collector shall ensure that ration cards are issued to all the identified eligible families living below poverty line and persons identified for specific schemes. For that, she/he can issue necessary instructions to concerned officers or body. (13) Normally a ration card shall be valid for five years from its date of issuance. After five years the ration card shall be renewed or a new ration card will be issued as the State Government may prescribe. (14) Ration cards shall have clearly marked on it the name and address of the ration cardholder, name, age of family members and their relation with head of family and name and number of Fair Price Shop from whom the ration cardholder is entitled to purchase essential commodities. (15) The card will be issued jointly in the name of both the eldest male and female members of the family. Both these names will appear under the section "Name of the head of the family" in the ration card. (16) In case of women who separated from her husband or is deserted by him, she would automatically be entitled for a separate card in her name. It will be the responsibility of the concerned issuing authority to ensure that her name is struck off from the original card. In case the separation from her family results in a loss of livelihood or a lowering of her economic statutes, her application for an independent card would be processed such that she can directly get a card under the BPL, Annapoorna and Antodaya scheme, whichever is appropriate. (17) No ration card fees shall be charged or recovered by the Panchayat or any issuing authority for the issue of ration card to families covered under BPL, Antodaya and Annapurna. (18) A ration card shall not be available for any legal use except when it is used by or on behalf of the person in respect of whom it is issued and it shall not be used for identification of any person. (19) Ration card issued to any person shall not be transferred to any another person. (20) Every family ration card under this order shall be the property of the State Government but the person to whom it is issued, or to the authority to whom it has been surrendered by her/him shall be responsible for its safe custody. (21) If any ration card is defaced, lost or destroyed, an authorized officer, after making such enquiry as she/he may think fit, issue a new ration card in place thereof, on payment of such fees as may be fixed. (22) When a new ration card is issued in place of a lost ration card, it shall be the duty of person to whom the new ration card has been issued, if she/he subsequently finds the lost ration card, to return the lost ration card forthwith to the officer by whom it was issued. (23) Any person who is in possession of a ration card and such possession is not authorized by or under this order shall forthwith deliver such a ration card to the concerned Tehsildar or Local Bodies. (24) Elimination of bogus ration cards as well as bogus units in the ration cards shall be a continuous exercise by the Collector to check diversion of essential commodities. (25) The concerned Sub-Divisional Officer or ration card issuance authority after giving the holder of any such ration card an opportunity stating her/his case and for reason to be recorded in writing, add to, amend vary or rescind the ration card if it is in the interest of general public necessary or expedient so to do, and in every such case, the holder of the ration card shall be bound to surrender the ration card on demand for endorsement or cancellation as the case may be. 5. Lifting, Storage, Transportation and distribution. - (1) The allocations made by the central Government or by State Government for distribution under the Public Distribution System shall not be diverted for any other purpose. (2) The Director shall, on getting allocation of food grains from the Central Government, issue district wise allocation orders authorizing Chhattisagarh State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited to lift food grains from FCI or from stock of food grains under the decentralized procurement within ten days of the receipt of allocation orders made by the Government of India. (3) The Food Corporation of India (FCI) or Chhattisgarh State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited shall ensure physical delivery of food grains of fair average quality within two weeks of demand with specific amount. (4) In the District Headquarters, the Food Controller/Food Officer and Sub-Divisional Officer for other areas shall issue fair price shop wise allocation orders. The copy of the allotment order shall be compulsorily given to the Gram Panchayats and local bodies. (5) While making monthly allocation to the fair price shop, the allotment authority shall take into account the balance stock, if any lying undistributed with the EPS owners for the next month allocation. (6) The Collector, District Manager of the Chhattisgarh State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited and other designated authority of Collector will ensure further delivery of food grain, sugar and salt to the Fair Price Shop within the first week of the month for which allocation is made. (7) Before making the payment to the FCI the representative of Chhattisgarh State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited and Food Corporation of India shall conduct joint inspection of the stock of food grains intended for issue to ensure that the stocks conform to the prescribed quality specifications. Similarly before making the payment to the Chhattisgarh State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited the representative of Chhattisgarh State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited and representative of District Collector shall conduct joint inspection of the stocks of food grains intended for issue to ensure that the stock conform to the prescribed qualities specifications. (8) The FCI shall issue to the Chhattisgarh State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited stack-wise sealed samples of the stocks of food grains supplied to them for the distribution under Public Distribution System at the time of despatch. Similarly Chhattisgarh State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited shall issue to the lead and link cooperative society and Fair Price Shop stack-wise sealed samples of the stocks of food grains supplied to them at the time of despatch. (9) The District Collector shall ensure that full quantity of food grain, sugar and salt lifted by Chhattisgarh State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited reaches their godowns and in turn to the Fair Price Shops within time. (10) The designated authority of Collectors, District Manager, Chhattisgarh State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited and concerned agencies engaged in transportation of all essential commodities covered under the PDS including food grains, kerosene, sugar and salt shall ensure that stocks of essential commodities under the Public Distribution System, as issued from the Chhattisgarh State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited godowns and godowns of other agencies dealing with kerosene are not replaced by stocks of inferior quality during storage, transit or any other stage. (11) Director food shall prescribe the format of sale register, stock register and ration card register and proper system of monitoring of Fair Price Shops. (12) The ration cardholder shall be entitled to draw essential commodities from a Fair Price Shop within her/his eligibility. It is not necessary for the card holder to lift the entire quantity of food grains/other commodity that she/he is entitled for in one installment but can do so in a number of installments. (13) The ration cardholder shall be entitled to draw food grains and other essential commodities of a maximum of previous two months from a Fair Price Shop, which was not lifted by him. 6. Power of search and seizure. - Any person authorized by the State Government or Collector may : -(1) Enter any premises used or believed to be used for the sale, distribution or storage for sale or distribution of any essential commodity covered under the Public Distribution System and inspect any such premises and any essential commodity therein or thereon.
(2) Require any person to make any statement or furnish any information or to produce any document or article in possession or under his control relating to the purchase, sale, distribution or storage of any essential commodity and every person so required shall comply with such requisition.
(3) Take or cause to be taken extracts from or copies of any document relating to the purchase, sale, distribution or storages of any essential commodity which is produced under sub-rule (2) or otherwise found in any such premises.
(4) Test or cause to be tested the weight of all or any of the essential commodities found in any such premises. Provided that in entering upon and inspecting any premises the persons so authorized shall have due regard to the social and religious customs of the persons occupying the premises.
(5) The said authority may also search, seize or remove such books of accounts or stocks of essential commodities where such authority has reason to believe that these have been used or will be used in contravention of the provisions of this Order.
7. Monitoring. - (1) The Director shall ensure regular inspection of a Fair Price Shop not less than once in two months by the designated authority. Director, food will issue orders specifying the inspection schedule, list of checkpoints and the authorities responsible for ensuring compliance with the said orders. (2) Meeting of the vigilance committees on the Public Distribution System at the State, District, Block and FPS level shall be held on regular basis. The periodicity of the vigilance committees at each level shall not be less than one meeting in a month. The vigilance committee at the State level will include the Advisor to the Commissioners of the Supreme Court (writ 196/2001, PUCL vs. the Union of India) and one nominee from civil society nominated by the Advisor. Each district committee will similarly have one representative nominated by the Advisor to the Commissioners of the Supreme Court. (3) The performance of the every Fair Price Shop will be reviewed once a year by the Gram Sabha through a social audit. (4) The Director shall ensure a periodic system of reporting and the complete information regarding allocation and distribution of essential commodities under Public Distribution System. Fair Price shopkeeper shall send information of actual distribution and balance stock of the month or district food office in prescribed form "A". By the Collector to the State Government by the 15th of the month following the month for which allocation and distribution is made in form "B". By the state Government to Central Government by end of the month following the month for which allocation and distribution is made in form "C". Further allocation of food grains to districts shall be linked to the receipt of regular reports from the respective districts and furnishing of utilization certificates by them within a period of one month from the month for which allocation is made. (5) State Government shall issue necessary instructions to educate ration cardholders regarding the rights and privileges under the Public Distribution System by use of electronic and print media. (6) State Government shall issue and adopt the Citizen's Charter according to department's necessity. 8. Number and location of fair price shop. - The number and location of fair price shops shall be specified by the Collector, and she/he shall take care of following guidelines :(1) Normally in urban area there shall be one fair price shop for area having 1000 Ration cards (amongst minimum 400 BPL or Antyodaya ration cards). The shop in urban area shall be established in those areas that will be convenient to the beneficiaries.
(2) Number & Location of shops shall be determined, whatever possible on the basis that no beneficiaries should have to walk more than 3 kilometers.
(3) Normally in rural areas, shop shall be established on the basis of Gram Panchayat as unit but another shop can be established if the distance is beyond 3 kilometers from the beneficiaries. The location of ship shall be in center of these areas wherefrom the supplies of foodstuff can easily be made available to inhabitants.
(4) In all rural areas, shops must be located in government buildings. They cannot be under any circumstances operate from the residence of any individual. In urban areas the shops must not operate from any place which is also used as a residence but must be a clearly identified shop.
9. Allocation of fair price shops. - (1) Fair Price Shop run by Large Aadim Jati Multipurpose Cooperative Societies (LAMPS), Primary credit cooperative societies, forest protection committees, self help groups, Gram Panchayats and other cooperative societies shall be continued but not run by the private persons. Within six months from commencement of this Order, Fair Price Shops run by the private persons shall be cancelled and allotted to the specified agencies mentioned in sub-rule (3) and (4) of rule 9. (2) In district headquarters Fair Price Shops shall be allotted by Food Controller/ Food Officer on approval of Collector and in remaining places of district, by sub-divisional officer of sub-division on approval of Collector. In areas where more than one primary credit cooperative societies exists, allocation shall be made on the recommendations of the Deputy Registrar/Assistant Registrar of district. For allotment of Fair Price Shop an advertisement shall be published in local newspapers and information of it shall be given to concerned urban local bodies and Gram Panchayat compulsorily. (3) Allotment of Fair Price Shops in ITDP area : -(a) Allotment of Fair Price Shops to agencies by authorised officer shall be done only to following :
(i) Large Aadim Jati Multipurpose Cooperative Societies (LAMPS).
(ii) Gram Panchayats
(iii) Women's Self help groups
(iv) Primary credit cooperative societies
(v) Forest protection committees
(vi) Other cooperative societies
(b) In ITDP areas only 10% of the shops will be allotted to other co-operative societies. For allotment of these fair price shops reserved for other cooperative societies, the ex-serviceman cooperative societies shall be given top priority. 33% of all Fair Price Shops shall be reserved for the Forest Protection Committees and Women's Self help groups. All the remaining shops will be allotted to LAMPS and Gram Panchayats.
(c) The salesperson of all Fair Price Shops operating in ITDP areas shall be appointed from the BPL families of local tribal communities.
(d) 33% of all salesperson in ITDP area should to be tribal women.
(4) Allotment of Fair Price Shops in other area : -(a) Allotment of Fair Price Shops to agencies by authorised officer shall be to the following :
(i) Gram Panchayats
(ii) Women's Self help groups
(iii) Primary credit cooperative societies
(iv) Other cooperative societies.
(b) In other areas 33 percent Fair Price Shops shall be reserved for the Women's Self Help Groups or other cooperative societies run by women, these shops shall be specified by the Collector. For allotment of fair price shops to other cooperative societies ex-serviceman cooperative societies shall be given top priority.
(c) Other consumer cooperative societies shall be registered under Chhattisgarh Cooperative Societies Act, 1960. The authorised officer of Cooperative department shall do audit of accounts of Fair Price Shop run by other consumer cooperative societies.
(5) Fair Price Shops shall be allotted to only those other cooperative societies, which are registered on or before 01 November, 2000. However it shall not be applicable for allotment of Fair Price Shops reserved for women. (6) Fair Price Shops allotted to Gram Panchayats shall be run by Gram Panchayats itself and Gram Panchayats shall not authorize any private person to run it. Fair Price Shops allotted to Gram Panchayats shall be run by a committee consisting of the following people - the Sarpanch, Secretary of the Panchayat, one Panch and one BPL cardholder and one Antodaya card holder nominated by the Gram Sabha. Atleast two of these people have to be women members. Any local literate and unemployed person shall be appointed on approval of Gram Sabha as salesman of Fair Price Shop run by a Gram Panchayat. (7) The salesperson will be appointed on the following basis of priority :(a) Scheduled Caste
(b) Other Backward Caste atleast 33% of all the sales persons have to be women and 10% have to be disabled.
(8) Authorised officer for allotment of Fair Price Shops shall maintain a register in her/his office having entries of allotment of Fair Price Shops, location and number of ration cards attached to it. Information of allotment of Fair Price Shops shall be displayed on notice board and copy of the procedure adopted for allotment of Fair Price Shops shall be made available as per rule. Desegregated data on the number of SC, OBC, disabled and women salesperson will be similarly displayed. 10. Execution of agreement and deposit of security. - After allocation of Fair Price Shop, shopkeeper shall execute an agreement in the favour of State Government in prescribed format. The papers of allotment and distribution work shall be allotted to the respective agencies after the execution of agreement. 11. Responsibilities of Fair Price Shopkeeper. - (1) Fair Price Shopkeeper shall receive essential commodities from those agencies, which were authorized by the Collector. (2) The responsibly of Fair Price Shopkeeper to make available the whole allotment of essential commodities after taking delivery within the first week of the month. (3) Fair price shopkeeper shall be responsible for making all essential entries in ration cards. (4) After receiving essential commodities by Shopkeeper, she/he shall give the description of essential commodities in written to the concerned Gram Panchayat or urban local bodies and vigilance committee, who will display it on their notice board. (5) Fair Price Shopkeeper shall sell essential commodities in such quantities and at the retail issue price as may be specified from time to time by the State Government to those consumers whose ration cards have been registered at her/his shop. Fair Price Shopkeeper shall not sell any essential commodities without ration card. (6) Fair Price Shopkeeper shall sell essential commodities to ration cardholders or any other member having their name in the ration card. (7) The commission at such rate as specified from time to time by the State Government shall be payable to Fair Price shopkeeper. (8) The agencies, who run Fair Price Shops and supplying agency (Food Corporation of India, Chhattisgarh State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited, lead societies and wholesale dealer of kerosene) shall ensure the availability of essential commodities to the FPS within the first week of the month for which allocation is made. (9) Fair Price shopkeeper shall display the samples of food grains being supplied through the Fair Price shop. 12. Size of Fair Price Shop and its opening and closing time etc. - (1) The minimum size of a fair price shop should be such that atleast half of quantities of one month's requirement can be stored in it. The monthly requirement of specified commodities for aggregated units and its distribution can done without difficulty. (2) There shall be enough space in front of shop for separate queue of women and men. (3) Opening and closing time of shops shall be fixed by the Collector. The shops shall remain open at least eight hours in a day. The shop shall remain open in morning and evening during fixed hours according to the local requirements. 13. Register maintained by the Fair Price shopkeeper and its inspection. - (1) Fair Price Shopkeeper shall maintain registers as may be prescribed by the Director. (2) For inspection of registers the shopkeeper shall provide all facilities to the officer, of Food & Civil Supplies department not below the rank of Food Inspector, Officer of Revenue department not below the rank of Naib Tehsildar, Officer of Cooperative department not below the rank of Sub-Auditor and other official authorized by the Collector. (3) Fair Price Shop keepers shall provide all these informations to any individual authorised by the Adviser to the Commissioners of the Supreme Court (Writ 196/2001, PUCL vs. UoI and Others). (4) Fair Price Shops have to provide information and copies of all the records to any individual who applies for them under the Right to Information Act. Any ration card holder desirous of obtaining extracts from the records of a fair price shop-keeper may make a written request to such owners along with a deposit of Rs. 2.00 per page. The fair price shop keeper shall provide such extracts of the records to the ration card holder within fourteen days from the date of receipt of a request and the payment of the specified fees. 14. Exhibition of board etc. at Fair Price shop. - (1) Fair Price Shopkeeper shall display a notice board of Fair Price Shop written in Hindi. The heading of notice board shall be "Sarkari Uchit Mulya Ki Dukan" and the length and breadth of notice board will be 1.50 meters and 0.75 meters respectively. The notice board shall be painted in yellow colour in which number, address, timings of opening and closing of shop and the name o* Fair Price Shopkeeper will be written in Hindi in black colour. (2) Fair Price shopkeeper shall display the information on another notice board at a prominent place in the shop on daily basis regarding list of BPL, Antyodaya and Annapoorna beneficiaries, entitlement of essential commodities, scale of issue, retail issue prices, stock of essential commodities received during the month, opening and closing stock of essential commodities and the authority for redressal of grievances/lodging complaints with respect to quantity and quality of essential commodities under Public Distribution System. 15. Compliance of instructions. - Fair Price shopkeeper shall comply with such other directions as may be issued from time to time by the State Government or the Collector. 16. Penalty. - (1) If shopkeeper contravenes any provision of agreement, his shop shall be liable for suspension or cancellation by authorized officer for allotment of Fair Price shop. (2) During inspection of shop, if any irregularity found then without prejudice to any action the whole or part of amount deposited by shopkeeper as security, shall be forfeited in favour of the State. (3) Before cancellation of authority letter of Fair Price Shop or forfeiture of whole or part of security, Food Controller or Food Officer of district, Sub-Divisional Officer of sub-division shall issue show cause notice and after giving him appropriate opportunity of hearing decision shall be made. This action shall be completed within a month from issuance of show cause notice. (4) The inspection of Fair Price Shop and other agencies engaged in supply and distribution of essential,commodities under public distribution system shall be done by the officers mentioned in the sub-rule (2) of rule 13 of this order. If irregularities found against Fair Price Shop run by cooperative societies, then inspecting officer communicate it to Deputy Registrar/Assistant Registrar, Cooperative societies, who will send his report within 15 days to officer designated for allotment of Fair Price Shop. If the said Deputy Registrar/Assistant Registrar, Cooperative societies does not submit his report within 15 days then it well be presumed that the consent of Deputy Registrar/Assistant Registrar, Cooperative societies is favourable and proposed action can be completed. (5) If any person, society or group contravenes any provisions of this Order, he shall be liable to punishment under section 7 of Essential Commodities Act. In case of cooperative societies, Gram Panchayat or other institution the prosecution may be started on the approval of Collector but in such cases the action shall not be restricted to salesman of Fair Price Shop only it can be extended to President and executive officers of society and other institutions and Sarpanch, Secretary of Panchayat or Gram Panchayat. (6) If there is prima-facie evidence that any individual is operating a shop as a proxy/"benami" shop keeper or de-facto owner by using the self-help groups, primary credit societies, forest protection committees, other credit societies or Gram Panchayat, she/he will be prosecuted under the provisions of the Essential Commodities Act as if she/he were running the shop. i 17. Food Security Fund. - (1) The State Government shall create Food Security Fund. The primary purpose of this fund is to strengthen food security for vulnerable populations and fund may be used for the following :(a) To ensure food security in areas where malnutrition levels are very high and possibilities of starvation exist;
(b) To try out innovative delivery mechanisms in remote areas where the normal delivery system is unable to meet the needs for timely supply of food grains and other essential commodities covered under the PDS;
(c) To try out innovations to reach un-reached populations of very poor, marginalised and vulnerable people both in urban and rural areas like urban homeless, disabled, tribal people facing displacement/or who are already displaced;
(d) To strengthen the monitoring system for the Public Distribution System across the State;
(e) To take all steps that may be necessary to ensure compliance with the orders of the Honourable Supreme Court which may be issued from time to time with regard to the Public Distribution System;
(f) To meet out any other exigencies as may be required from time to time to strengthen the food security requirements of the State.
(2) The Food Security Fund will be managed by a body chaired by the Secretary, Department of Food, Civil supplies and Consumer Protection, Government of Chhattisgarh. 18. Appeal. - (1) Any person aggrieved by an order of the designated officer denying the issue or renewal of a ration card or cancellation of the ration card may appeal to the Collector/ Additional Collector within 30 days of the date of receipt of the order. (2) Any person aggrieved by an order of the designated officer for the allotment of Fair Price Shop or cancellation of Fair Price Shop may appeal to the Collector within 30 days of the receipt of the order. Any person aggrieved by an order of the Collector may appeal to the State Government within 30 days of the date of receipt of the order and it's decision shall be final. (3) No such appeal shall be disposed of unless the aggrieved person has been given a reasonable opportunity of being heard. (4) Pending the disposal of an appeal, the appellate authority may direct that the order under appeal shall not take into effect for such period as the authority may consider necessary for giving a reasonable opportunity to the other party under sub-rule (3) or until the appeal is disposed off, whichever is earlier. 19. Exemption. - For effective operation of Public Distribution System in pursuance with the Public Distribution System (Control) Order 2001, the State Government may by special order exempt all or any part of the provisions of this Order and may at any time suspend or cancel such exemption. 20. Protection of action taken under Order. - No suit, prosecution or other legal proceedings shall lie against any person for anything which is in good faith done or intended to be done in pursuance of this Order. 21. Repeal and Savings. - Chhattisgarh (Khadya Padartha) Sarvajanik Nagrik Poorti Vitaran Scheme, 2001, enforced by this department's notification No. F 12-1/ Khadya/29/2001, dated 23rd June, 2001 is hereby rescinded on the date of enforcement of this scheme. Notwithstanding such repeal, any order issued under the Chhattisgarh (Khadya Padartha) Sarvajanik Nagrik Poorti Vitaran Scheme, 2001 shall be deemed to have been made, granted or issued under this Order.
