Is the Right to Food benefiting the wrong people? Put out by recurrent complaints about people illegally taking the benefits of the scheme, the Pune division of the department of food and civil supplies has announced that it will take criminal action against such fraudsters.

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Prakash Kadam, assistant commissioner of the department, said that strict measures would be initiated against these people under the Essential Commodities Act.

The National Food Security Act was implemented across the state on February 1, according to which the beneficiaries of Antyodaya Anna Yojana, and others whose annual income is between Rs 25,000 to Rs 1 lakh would be entitled to get the benefits of the programme. However, it was found that many residents of the district, whose annual income is above Rs 1 lakh, were also taking advantage.