The Kerala Ration Vyapari Samyukta Samithi has come out against the distribution of rice as per the new norms of the Rs.2-a-kg scheme, saying that there were no adequate stocks for the purpose in April.
At a press conference here on Monday, its general convener, R. Radhakrishnan, convener K.R. Dayananda Babu and vice-chairman K.T. Thomas said that if the scheme was to be extended to APL (above the poverty line) card holders this month, there would be no rice to be distributed to all card holders.
Eighty per cent of the APL cardholders had already purchased their share at the rate of Rs.8.90 a kg.
Applications
Moreover, the scheme could be implemented only after collecting the application forms, which was not yet completed.
As per media reports, the government had declared 12 kg for each APL card holder this month.
However, the ration shops at present had only about five-seven kg available for each, that too rice that was supposed to be sold at Rs.8.90 a kg.
Supply
Steps to provide the ration shops the Rs.2-a-kg rice had to be hastened, since ration dealers were against distributing the Rs.8.90-a-kg rice at Rs.2 a kg.
It was hence better to restart the scheme from May, they said.
Popular varieties
The samithi demanded that the Jaya and Surekha varieties of rice, which came from Andhra Pradesh and were popular among the people of Kerala, should be sold at the ration shops at subsidised rates, as was being done in the outlets of Consumerfed.
