Timely cartoon

Kudos to Keshav for the timely cartoon (Jan. 26) depicting the plight of the common man in the wake of all-round rise of commodity prices. It is unfortunate that the governments at the Centre and in the States do not apply their minds and initiate measures to control the price spiral that affects all sections of people.

Extending freebies through the Public Distribution System will not bring relief to large sections who do not draw essential items through the system. The simmering discontent should be redressed to avoid the situation from getting out of hand. The governments should also have effective mechanisms to check whether the items meant for below-the-poverty line people really reach the beneficiaries. Every day, one comes across news stories on seizure of items meant for the PDS when they find their way into the open market.

G. Kulandaivelu,

Panruti