Public Disturbing System in Kerala

KOTTAYAM: Public Distribution System (PDS), which is meant to provide food security to the people at a subsidized price through a network of ration shops is proving wrong again as the lack of food grains is still persist here.

“Allotment of food grains are insufficient from the Centre and we hope the new Food Security Bill will help stopping this leakage,” said P S Prassannakumar, Taluk Supply Officer in the Civil Supplies Office, Kottayam.

According to official data given by Jayaraj VR, Junior Superintendent in District Supply Office for the month of August the requirement of rice for the APL (Above Poverty Line) card holders is 3,623 mts (metric tonnes) but the allotment is 3,084 mts (lacks 539 mts), wheat requirement is 1,086 mts but availability is 690 mts (lacks 396 mts ). For the BPL (Below Poverty Line) card holders requirement of rice is 2,400 mts but allotment is 1,746 mts (lacks 654 mts) and wheat requirement is 480 mts but availability is 458 mts (lacks 22 mts).

Out of the district's population of 1,974,551 there are only 4,94,349 people have all varieties of ration cards (APL, BPL, AAY and Annapoorna). As per the government norms, per month allotment of rice for the APL card holders is 9 kg and wheat 2 kg where the availability is 8 kg of rice and 1 kg of wheat. For the BPL card holders rice allotted is 25 kg and wheat 8 kg where the availability is 18 kg of rice and 6 kg of wheat.

However, the two other flagship schemes like AAY (Antyodaya Anna Yojana) for very poor and Annapoorna for the senior citizens who were not covered under the PDS got their required quantity of rice each month but wheat and sugar are not available for them.