Thiruvananthapuram: The state government has decided to extend the last date for completing the distribution of ration quota from November to December 31. This is in the wake of the chaos in the public distribution system due to the cut in the ration quota following the implementation of the National Food Security Act. The civil supplies department has also suspended the distribution of rations to the applicants who have been allotted temporary ration cards. However, Civil Supplies Minister P. Thilothaman said that the ration distribution had started.
Mr Babychan Mukkadan, general secretary, All-India Ration Dealers Association, told Deccan Chronicle that the problem was acute in Kottayam and Idukki districts. No ration was distributed there due to the strike at Chingavanam FCI godown. The civil supplies department could lift the full quota for November only in Thiruvananthapuram and Pathanamthitta districts.
Moreover, the FCI has not yet supplied the rice for December due to the sabotage of public distribution by the wholesale dealers with the support of officials and headload workers in FCI godowns, he said. As per the earlier practice, the FCI supplied the foodgrain to 330 wholesale dealers and 11 civil supplies depots and they passed on the stocks to the retailers. This system was replaced after the introduction of the food security Act.
There was a shortfall in the central allocation as the rice quota was slashed to 10 lakh tonnes from 16.25 lakh tonnes. The number of people included in the priority list was fixed at 1.53 crore.
