Kakkanad: The food and civil supplies department is looking at ways to bring VIPs who do not buy ration to the public distribution system shops. They expect that if prominent people are regularly buying ration, that could be a trigger for common man too. In the first phase, district supply officer Benny Joseph is planning to launch the initiative at his native place Chendamangalam in Ernakulam district.
The initiative aims to identify prominent people who do not buy ration supplies, encourage them to visit PDS shops, take photographs of them buying ration, use them to attract more people to the ration shops, and create awareness among ration card owners through residents’ associations and members of local government bodies.
The district supply officer said that if ration shops are not popularised and made active, the rationing system could die a natural death. A majority of PDS customers are from the low-income and middle-income groups. Most people from these groups do not buy ration supplies regularly. Those from the high-income group never visit a PDS shop. Some even think that visiting a PDS shop is demeaning, he said.
Most people who keep away from PDS shops are unaware of the items available there and their prices. People do not know that they can get food grains for one-fourth the price available in markets.
Items available at PDS shops
* APL (non-priority/non-subsidy category) card members get rice at Rs 9.90 per kg, wheat at Rs 7.70 a kg, fortified what flour at Rs 16 a kg, kerosene at Rs 28 a litre (The volume varies every month).
* BPL (priority category) card members get 4 kg rice and 1 kg wheat for Re 1 per kg for every family member.
* Non-priority/subsidy category card holders get 2 kg rice at Rs 3 a kg and 3 kg fortified wheat flour for Rs 16 a kg.
* Antyodaya Anna Yojana card holders get 30 kg rice and 5 kg wheat free of cost.
