A section of ration dealers in Kerala will down shutters on Monday alleging apathy on the part of the State government in ensuring the fair distribution of stock to retailers under the Public Distribution System (PDS).
The dealers owing allegiance to the All Kerala Retail Ration Dealers’ Association will stage a sit-in across the State complaining that the delay in implementing the improvised remuneration package had been affecting the lives of lower income groups and pushing them to commit suicide.
T. Muhammed Ali, general secretary of the association, said the ₹16,000 remuneration paid for trading 73 quintals of PDS foodgrain was cheap and it should be revised at the earliest. In the past, the quantity was limited to just 45 quintals and then the ration dealers were able to claim the same remuneration, he said.
Mr. Ali said the ration dealers were in a situation to arrange additional storage and labourers to claim the remuneration that they used to get by handling a manageable quantity. No ordinary dealer would be able to arrange additional storage space in the current situation and appoint additional labourers to survive in the trade, he said.
The yet-to-be addressed complaints on the “inaccurate supply” of the assured quantity of ration goods from FCI godowns too had provoked a section of dealers who complained that it was causing them huge business loss.
V. Prabhakaran, general secretary of the Kerala Retail Ration Dealers Association (KRRDA), said that ration dealers were given only false promises by the authorities and no previous assurances were actually made real.
In Kozhikode district, the strike is likely to hit the functioning of nearly 500 ration shops. Though there are over 14,000 ration shops across Kerala, retailers owing allegiance to two other associations will not participate in the strike.
