An all-party delegation will leave for New Delhi to demand the Centre to revive the foodgrain quota and also apprise the Centre of the intensity of the drought situation in the State, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said.
Talking to reporters after an all-party meeting held on Wednesday to discuss the drought and the disruption in ration supply in the State, Mr. Vijayan said the foodgrain quota to the State was cut by 2 lakh tonnes. This has affected the statutory rationing systems in the State.
On implementing the National Food Security Act, the State was forced to limit the number of people on the priority list. In the wake of complaints about the list, the government would have to weed out the ineligible. Thus a large number of people would be out of the public distribution system, he said.
The government would soon complete the other requirements for implementing the Act. Public distribution system (PDS) outlets would be modernised and the government would take over the wholesale trading of grains. The delegation would submit a memorandum tot he Centre, he said.
Drought
Considering the intensity of the drought and drinking water scarcity, the meeting resolved to regulate the use of water and set up kiosks for providing drinking water.
District Collectors would be in charge of transporting drinking water in tankers and local bodies would distribute it among the people. Work on check-dams would be be completed soon. Setting up of tube wells for drawing water in large scale would not be allowed. Waterbodies and wells would be revived under the Haritha Kerala Mission.
The Cabinet also decided to seek an additional assistance of ₹991.54 crore from the National Disaster Response Fund, he said.