Kochi: The State government has informed the Kerala High Court that the delivery of food grains from the central government Food Corporation of India godown to entitled customers can only be through the civil supplies department or a government-owned company. The State made it clear that private entities could not be an authorized agency under the targeted public distribution system.
The State filed an affidavit stating that after implementation of the National Food Security Act 2013, only an authorised agency as defined under the Act can take delivery of foodgrains from FCI godowns. The state government has entrusted Supplyco (Civil Supplies Corporation), an authoritsed agency, as per an order issued dated October 3, 2016.
The affidavit was filed in response to a petition filed by a batch of private wholesale dealers challenging cancellation of their licences. The petitioners moved the court seeking a directive to accord them licenses.
The government said that from November 2016, the entire foodgrains allocation by the Central government was being taken delivery of by the State government through concerned district supply officers. Authorized wholesale dealers are not taking any foodgrains, the state said.
Authorised agency is defined as a concerned department of the state government or a body corporate or a company owned by it or a cooperative.
