Ration Dealers to March to Parliament Against Centre's Move to Undermine Public Distribution System

Thrissur: Ration dealers will stage a protest march to Parliament in November against what they describe as moves by the Centre to undermine the country's ration distribution system. The march will be organised by the All Kerala Retail Ration Dealers Association in the first week of November.

The association's demands include scrapping the proposed Direct Payment Transfer system, under which money would be transferred to the bank accounts of ration cardholders instead of providing ration; abandoning plans to reduce the 35-kg monthly foodgrain allocation under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (yellow) cards; and providing 13.5 kg of foodgrains per month to every member of yellow and pink ration cards covered under the food security scheme, as recommended by the World Food Programme (WFP).

The association also demanded that cardholders outside the food security scheme be provided 10 kg of foodgrains at subsidised rates under the Tie-Over scheme. It further called for strengthening the public distribution system by supplying edible oil and pulses through ration shops.

The decisions were taken at a review meeting of the Karyunya Sparsham donation scheme held at the association's state committee office in Thrissur. The meeting was chaired by president Johnny Nelloor.