The State Cabinet on Wednesday announced a series of measures to tackle price rise during the Onam season over and above the market intervention schemes being implemented by the Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation.
Addressing a press conference soon after a Cabinet meeting here, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said 1,424 Onam fairs, including 1,281 mini-fairs, would be held at district and taluk headquarters under the auspices of the Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation (Supplyco).
In addition, special Onam fairs would be organised in 38 panchayats that did not have a Maveli store.
Apart from this, Onam kits would be distributed to the tribespeople. Schoolchildren covered by the mid-day meal scheme would get 5 kg of rice per head.
Additional quota
Those under the APL category would get an additional 2 kg of rice over and above their normal quota of 8 kg. An allocation of 6,025 tonnes of rice had been earmarked for these schemes.
The Chief Minister said special squads and price monitoring cells would be established under designated officers to keep tabs on prices of essential commodities and prevent hoarding and black marketing.
Talks to be held
The Chief Secretary has been asked to hold talks with representatives of oil companies to ensure smooth supply of cooking gas during the season. Vegetable fairs would also be conducted alongside the Onam fairs, pooling the resources of Horticorp, Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council Keralam, and Milma. Similarly, the stalls of Hantex, Hanveev, and Kudumbashree would also be organised.
When asked about the role of Consumerfed in the market intervention programme, Mr. Vijayan stated that the cooperative body would be considered only after cleaning the cobweb of corruption. Civil Supplies Minister P. Thilothamman was present at the press conference.
Onam feteMr. Vijayan said the government would organise an Onam fete at Rashtrapathi Bhavan on September 3. President Pranab Mukherjee would be the chief guest. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice President Hameed Ansari, Central Ministers, and officials would be invited to the fete, featuring various art forms unique to Kerala.
