As Kerala goes through a prolonged lockdown, new Food and Civil Supplies Minister G.R. Anil has his task cut out and ensure that no one remains hungry in the State. Besides ensuring the smooth flow of the public distribution system (PDS), the department has to supply free food kits for all sections of society.
The Communist Party of India (CPI) leader says stimulus will be provided to the sector, which has been stagnant for around three months since the declaration of the polls. The department will continue to play a vital role during the pandemic and intervene to control price rise of essential commodities, he adds.
Care home residents
After assuming office, the 58-year-old granted approval for a scheme to provide ration kits to residents of destitute homes, orphanages, monasteries, old-age homes and mental health institutions. In these centres, ration will be provided to units comprising four people. While the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government had implemented the move briefly, the programme is yet to take off in full swing.
The Minister signed a file to recommend the inclusion of Supplyco and Maveli store employees and fair price shop owners (ration dealers) as front-line workers to receive COVID-19 vaccination on priority basis. He has also initiated steps to provide insurance coverage for ration dealers.
e-ration card
Mr. Anil set his sights on implementing the e-ration card service across the State. While the facility implemented as part of the One Nation, One Ration Card scheme was initially launched in Thiruvananthapuram, it was recently extended across the State. Around 8,000 e-ration cards have been issued.
The Integrated Management of Public Distribution System (IMPDS) enabled nation-wide portability of ration cards. He said that workers from West Bengal and Assam, who formed a bulk of the migrant population in Kerala, could enjoy the benefits of the scheme when their home States joined the Central system.
The Minister would collect feedback from ration dealers, other licensees and the public to improve service delivery. For this, he will devote an hour each from May 25 to 28 for a phone-in programme.
He will also receive suggestions online. Further details will be announced later.