Thiruvananthapuram: Food kits will be distributed through ration shops across the state from Saturday. The kits will include 12 items.
In the first phase, the food kits will be distributed to 5.95 lakh AAY card-holders (yellow ration cards). Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that the food kits will be distributed next month also.
Ration shops to be shut on May 17
The ration dealers’ joint coordination committee meet has decided to shut the ration shops on Monday (May 17). The shops will be shut as a mark of respect to the 22 dealers who died in the second wave of COVID-19 and to protest against the government for neglecting their plight.
Around 300 dealers are undergoing treatment at hospitals, while over 500 sales personnel and their kin are in quarantine, according to the association leaders.
The meet also raised demands such as declaring the ration dealers as frontline warriors and giving them compensations. Also, to provide vaccination and health insurance to all dealers, the eight-month kit commission arrears, and to avoid scenarios wherein the card-holders have to make multiple visits to the rations shop to buy kerosene, kit and the ration.