Odisha Assembly Erupts Over Alleged PDS Collapse

Opposition parties in the Odisha Assembly accused the state government of mishandling the public distribution system, claiming it led to the deaths of three tribal women. Allegations of food scarcity were countered by the government, which attributed the deaths to food poisoning from contaminated mango kernel gruel.

Opposition parties, including the BJD and Congress, staged a dramatic walkout in the Odisha Assembly on Wednesday, accusing the state government of a severe collapse in the public distribution system (PDS), which they claimed resulted in the deaths of three tribal women in Kandhamal district.

The contention revolved around the alleged consumption of mango kernel gruel by villagers in Mandipanka due to food grain shortages, a claim emphatically denied by Odisha's Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister, KC Patra. Instead, Patra attributed the deaths to food poisoning due to contaminated gruel.

The opposition's allegations sparked a heated debate, with demands for Minister Patra's resignation. Despite these claims, government representatives defended the state's provisions, pointing out that the village had sufficient food supplies contrary to the opposition's accusations.

(With inputs from agencies.)