CPM irked over scarcity of cheap ration in PDS shops

Shimla, Apr 11 (UNI) The CPM today expressed its displeasure with the BJP Government for failing to provide cheap rations to 14 lakh ration card holders of the state in March and said that they should be provided double the ration this month to compensate for the last month.

It is ridiculous that the state government could not provide cheap rations to 14 lakh ration card holders of the state during March through the public distribution system,'' party's state secretariat member Tikender Singh Panwar said.

He said the party was opposed to the government's decision of once going back to the targetted public distribution system (TDPS) and disturbing the supply chain of food grains to the ration card holders.

''This is nothing short of demolishing the public distribution system and the party will launch a nation wide campaign from next Wednesday to expose the state government's hallow claims about providing cheap rations to the people.'' Referring to the three states of Kerala, Tripura and West Bengal, Mr Panwar said there was a virtual universalisation of PDS (despite the central government's policy of targeting) and ration was supplied through controlled depots.

He said only 13 lakh in Kerala were covered under the PDS category and the remaining were being supplied ration by the state government.

Instead of demolishing the PDS, efforts should be made to increase the ambit of the PDS leading to its universalisation, the CPM leader said in a release here.

UNI AS HS VN1814