GHALANAI, April 12: The farmers of Mohmand tribal region accuse the agriculture department of not providing food items to them under the Food for Work Programme (FWP) launched by the government.
The tribal people from various localities alleged that they could not get food under the programme despite submitting their national identity cards with the agriculture department at Ghallanai some four months ago.
Farmers from Haleemzai and Pandiali tehsils namely Samiullah, Shafiq, Zahirullah, Tehsenullah, Lal Rehman, Rasool Khan and Noor Afzal confided to Dawn that these food items were being sold in the open market.
The farmers said they had been visiting the food department offices daily but returned empty handed.
Meanwhile, a daily wager at a food distribution point in Chanda, said there was no proper way of distribution, adding those who had tokens were usually left out.
A man from Dawat Kor also alleged that levies force got 20 to 30 food packages at each distribution point, while poor and deserving people were deprived of food items.
Another tribesman said officials distributed food items on basis of political affiliation, on recommendation of political administration, local peace committees and influential tribal elders.
Another farmer alleged the MNA and senator from the region, officials of political administration, peace committees and tribal elders sent lists of their blue-eyed people to the agriculture department.
“We can do nothing. The blue-eyed people recommended by influential people are getting the food packages,” said a worker of the Paiman Alumni Trust, which monitors the Food for Work Programme in Mohmand tribal region.
An official of the agriculture department told Dawn that the criteria of World Food Programme for distribution of food package was very clear, saying various teams conducted surveys and on basis of these surveys packages were distributed among the deserving farmers. He said lists were assessed in the agriculture directorate and WFP office.
He said they shared all the relevant information of the distribution with the political administration as well as local press.