Kerala - Kozhikode   

Restore grain quota, say dealers

KOZHIKODE: The All-Kerala Retail Ration Dealers’ Association has called for urgent steps to remove anomalies in the State’s public distribution system (PDS).

In a memorandum to Union Food Minister Sharad Pawar, it has said that the cut in allotment of wheat and rice for the State must be revoked at the earliest. It will help to curb the escalating price of rice in the State.

K.V. Thomas, MLA and president of the association, M.V. Bhasheer, State working president, and T. Mohammed Ali, secretary, submitted the memorandum to Mr. Pawar.

They impressed upon him the need for timely measures to remove the gap in prices at which commodities were supplied to below-poverty-line (BPL) and above-poverty-line (APL) cardholders.

Considering the peculiar conditions in the State, the memorandum says, ration dealers want a different package for the State for categorisation of APL, BPL and Annapoorna Anna Yojana (AAY) cardholders.

Now, because of the big difference in prices of wheat and rice supplied to BPL and APL categories, the latter were reluctant to buy from ration outlets.

The association has appealed to the Minister to reduce the prices of commodities for the APL category.

It has brought to the notice of Mr. Pawar that because of reduction of 92,000 tonnes in rice allotment to Kerala, it has become difficult to carry on PDS supply effectively.

The association has told the Minister that the unprecedented rise in prices in the State is due to the derailed functioning of the PDS.

They have demanded supply of levy sugar to all cardholders.

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