Minister for Food and Civil Supplies G.R. Anil has formally launched the distribution of the government’s Onam special food kits.
Inaugurating the State-level drive at a ration outlet at Edapazhanji here on Saturday, Mr. Anil said no efforts were spared to ensure utmost transparency and quality throughout the programme that would continue until August 16. Stringent steps were being adopted to avoid discrepancies in the quantity of the products that were distributed. Due care was taken in this regard during the tender process, he said.
Pointing out that the department aimed at providing good quality commodities to all sections, the Minister said that it would never compromise on standard despite supplying essential items at rates cheaper than in the open market.
The government had been mulling over a proposal to provide an additional allocation of one litre of kerosene for priority category ration card holders and half litre for the others on account of Onam.
Mr. Anil said that orders had been issued to remove essential items that were unfit for consumption from all ration shops in the State. All consumables, including rice, sugar and wheat, would be distributed only after stringent quality checks.
The Food and Civil Supplies Department had received as many as 1,27,443 priority category ration cards that were surrendered by ineligible people. These cards would be re-allocated to economically-backward and persons with disabilities who were eligible to be covered under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) scheme from August 6 onwards.
Presiding over the function, Transport Minister Antony Raju said the government was inclined towards establishing Supplyco supermarkets in KSRTC bus stand complexes. As part of its policy, the first such supermarket would come up at the Thampanoor Central bus station on the first day of the Malayalam month of Chingam on August 17.
The Onam special food kit included 1 kg sugar, 500 ml coconut oil, 500 gm green gram, 250 gm toor dal, 100 gm tea, 100 gm chilly powder, 100 gm turmeric powder, 1 kg salt, 180 gm of vermicelli, 180 gm of ‘palada,’ 500 gm raw rice, 50 gm cashew nuts, 20 gm cardamom, 50 ml ghee, 100 gm ‘sarkara varatti’ or ‘upperi’, 1 kg wheat flour and one bath soap.
The kits will be distributed in the following order: AAY cardholders (yellow) – July 31, August 2 and 3; priority households (pink) – August 4 to 7; non-priority subsidy card-holders (blue) – August 9 to 12; and non-priority non-subsidy cardholders (white) – August 13 to 16.
