The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has charged the Centre and the ruling Congress in Puducherry with “dislocating” the Public Distribution System (PDS) and depriving people of their right to get essential commodities through ration cards.
CPI(M) State secretary R. Rajangam told presspersons here on Monday that the Congress government in Puducherry was toeing the line of the BJP-headed National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in taking steps to scrap the PDS as a whole.
Although Puducherry had transferred cash equivalent to rice under the Direct Benefit Transfer scheme, it had been discontinued.
The government in Puducherry was busy closing down ration shop.
Instead of ensuring free rice to cardholders, the government had been converting ration cards from yellow to red category. This move was unjustified and would affect the poorer sections, he said.
‘Rice not available’
Mr. Rajangam said that rice and wheat were not available through the PDS. The government failed to deliver on its poll promise of 30 kg of free rice and 5 kg of wheat to cardholders.
The Centre was using Puducherry as a “guinea pig” to destroy the PDS and discontinue supply of essential commodities to cardholders.
While essential commodities were available through ration cards in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, in Puducherry ration cards had been rendered invalid with the government discontinuing the supply of essential commodities.
The CPI(M) would organise a series of agitations from March 10 to 17 in support of its demand for strengthening the PDS, he added.
