The All-Kerala Retail Ration Dealers’ Association has urged the State government to pay their honorarium in time.
T. Mohammedali, general secretary of the association, told the media on Monday that the government’s promise to pay the honorarium by the fifth day of every month was yet to be kept. Often, they had to wait for months together, he claimed.
Alleging large-scale corruption in the allocation of foodgrain under the Food Security Act, Mr. Mohammedali claimed that officials, lorry drivers, and contractors were in nexus. Foodgrain was not weighed properly while delivering to the ration dealers despite a court order. The government too had issued orders to ensure this. He said that the dealers were forced to pay a fine for the mismatch between the stock kept at the ration shops and the quantity of foodgrain released from the depot. The government had not yet taken action against any official.
He said that the quantity of kerosene being distributed through ration shops had gone down considerably after the Centre reduced Kerala’s quota. The price of a litre of kerosene had gone up from ₹18 to ₹36 too, he said.