Patna, Jan. 6: Consumers in distress can now dial a helpline to seek redress.

The state food and consumer protection department would soon start a toll-free consumer help-line to help people, said the department’s principal secretary Tripurari Sharan.

“We are going to start a toll-free help-line to help consumers lodge complaints and provide suggestions as to how to deal with the problems they face. Able advisers would be available on the helpline to talk to the callers,” said Sharan.

The consumers can call on the number and get advise from the experts on whom to approach for the redress of their grievances. They would advise the callers for lodging complaints in the consumers’ courts for getting compensation free of cost, said Sharan.

On the rampant black-marketing of LPG cylinders, Sharan said the authorities concerned and oil-marketing companies have been directed that domestic LPG cylinders should not be allowed to be used for commercial purposes.

The principal secretary said the state government has taken the decision that it would supply food grains to all the below poverty line (BPL) families, including Antyodaya families, at the BPL rate on its own, if it does not get the required quantity of grains from the Centre.

As per the Centre’s figures, there are 65.23 lakh BPL families in the state whereas the state’s survey revealed the total number of such families is 1.35 crore, Sharan said. He added the central government allocates 2.28 lakh metric tonne of food grains on a monthly basis against the state’s requirement of 4 lakh metric tonne.

But the state government was committed to provide food grains for all, he said.

To avoid distribution of bogus ration cards, the department has ensured that each ration card has the photo of the head of the family, he said.

He added that the department has distributed red cards to the BPL, yellow cards to the Antyodaya and green cards to the people living above poverty line.

The state government is lagging behind far behind the target in paddy procurement, said the principal secretary. The department has procured 25,333 metric tonne till January 3, through its various agencies, against the target of 10.5 lakh metric tonne, he added.