Thiruvananthapuram: There is a lack of clarity over the scheme for providing free rice through ration shops to all BPL and AAY families in the state. (Under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana scheme, the poorest among the Below Poverty Line families are selected and issued AAY ration cards).
The budget speech does not specify the exact quantity of rice being provided to BPL families. At present, about 20 lakh families are getting Rs 25 kg of rice at Rs 1 per kilogram every month.
Sources said that the present plan was to provide the same quantity of rice to these families under the new scheme. The state will need 57,000 tonnes of rice to run the scheme every month. An amount of Rs 55 crore is being earmarked for it. With this, the total subsidy would go up to Rs. 500 crore.
The total number of ration cards in the state now is 82, 60,619, including 14, 76,841 BPL cards, 62, 07,717 APL cards and 5,76,056 AAY cards. Of these, APL card holders are getting nine kg of rice at Rs.8.90 a kg.
The budget has also earmarked Rs 10 crore for modernising the public distribution system. Another Rs 6 crore is earmarked for the Council for Food Research and Development to promote indigenous food items of the state and maintain competitive quality in the international market.
A poverty eradication programme for 94 lakh AAY/BPL family members will be implemented. Rs 257.89 crore is being earmarked for this.
