Bhubaneswar, Jan. 11: The state government has designated the information panel as the food commission in accordance with the National Food Security Act.

The project directors of all the district rural development agencies have been appointed as district grievance redressal officers to hear out people's woes.

The food commission is yet to start work, as the rules for the commission have not yet been framed.

Information commissioner Laxminarayan Patnaik said: "We are sitting idle. Once the government frames the rules, we will start intervening on many issues pertaining to the state's interest. Of course, we have put up a board of the commission in our office."

The state government initiated steps to make the commission functional after the Opposition threatened to move court over its failure to implement the act.

Food supplies and consumer welfare secretary Madhusudan Padhi said: "Steps are being taken to frame the commission's rules. It has been sent to the law department for approval. Once the law department has vetted its rules, it will be placed in the cabinet for its approval."

On being asked how the state government designated the information commission as the food commission, Padhi said: "Under the act, the state is empowered to designate the existing commissions such as information commission, women's commission or human rights commission as food commission till an independent commission is constituted. As we have fulfilled the necessary conditions under the act, the state is allowed to implement it."

The state food commission shall monitor and evaluate implementation of the act. It will, either suo motu or on receipt of complaints, inquire into violations of entitlements and give advice to the state government, implementing agencies, autonomous bodies as well as non-governmental organisations involved in the delivery of relevant services. It will also help individuals to get their entitlements.

The state will provide administrative and technical employees for proper functioning of the commission.

The Opposition has raised questions on whether the state will frame the rules after several irregularities in the preparation and distribution of ration cards under the act surfaced.

BJP leader Bijoy Mohapatra said: "The state government is not serious about implementing the act. It is just doing lip service to it. The state should make all arrangements before implementing the act, like making the food commission fully functional. Had the chief minister bothered to go through it, he would have ordered the setting up of a food commission, as mentioned in the act."

The protest over the act has already spilled onto the streets, making it difficult for the ministers to move around in the state. After Cuttack mayor Anita Behera had resigned from her post last month, a number of cases pertaining to the ruling party members being issued ration cards by using dubious methods surfaced.