Kerala - Kozhikode   

Ration dealers’ Secretariat dharna on March 17

KOZHIKODE: The All Kerala Retail Ration Dealers Association will take out a march and organise a dharna in front of the Secretariat on March 17 to highlight the need for strengthening the public distribution system (PDS).

In a statement here on Tuesday, M.V. Basheer, State working president, and T. Mohammed Ali, State secretary, of the association said the PDS needed to be put back on rails in the backdrop of the unprecedented rise in prices of essential commodities, especially rice that was the staple food of the Malayali.

The situation in the State was such that the prevailing market price of rice was more than double of Rs.8.90, the price for which it was provided to cardholders in the above poverty line category through the PDS.

The present condition of the PDS in the State was the result of the discriminatory attitude of the Centre towards Kerala for the last seven years.

The association demanded that the cut in the quota of rice to the State be withdrawn with immediate effect. Another major demand was to restore the rice and wheat quota to the APL cardholders to the earlier quota of 35 kg a month.

Two kg of wheat and five kg of rice were being supplied to the APL category now. The high price of rice in the open market had only highlighted the urgency to increase the food grain quota for the APL cardholders.

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