Chennai: Charging the state government with not providing essential commodities to all the PDS card-holders, leader of Opposition M.K. Stalin on Monday threatened to hold state-wide agitations if the problems in PDS distribution are not rectified.
He said the state government had not issued tenders to procure dhal and palm oil and the required amount of essential commodities had not been supplied to PDS shops. Citing the accusation of Tamil Nadu Ration Shops Union president Rajendran that essential commodities for only 400 out of 1,000 shops had been supplied, Stalin said the statement showed that the state government is not able to buy essential commodities for PDS units.
Recalling that the DMK raised questions when the state government 'secretly' signed in the National Food Security Scheme on January 11, the DMK working president said he had demanded a white paper on the benefits and disadvantages for the state due to the joining the scheme.
Stalin said he had raised the issue in the Assembly and asked the government to be ensure that the PDS system is not affected, but the state government ignored his warning.
He said the state government is facing a debt of Rs 5 lakh crore and the ministers are unable to implement the schemes.
The PDS system should not be affected and the state government should take up the issue with the Centre as Tamil Nadu should not suffer for signing the national food security scheme. If the problems in the PDS are not rectified, the DMK will hold protests throughout the state, he warned.
