Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said the State government will continue to bolster its market intervention efforts amid demands by certain quarters to entrust ration supply with private entities. The State’s efforts in this regard has ensured that it had the lowest inflation rate in the country, he said.
He was speaking while formally inaugurating the K-Store project as well as the linkage of e-PoS machines in ration shops with weighing scales at a function held in Thrissur on Sunday. Equipped with technological tools, the K-Store network will offer a wide array of services such as bank transactions up to ₹10,000, utility payments for water and electricity, mini-LPG cylinders of 5kg, and Sabari and Milma products.
Asserting that the government does not intend to withdraw from the public distribution system, Mr. Vijayan said the State would continue to uphold its priority of ensuring greater benefits to marginalised sections, even while diversifying the civil supplies and public distribution system.
3.5 lakh priority cards
As part of such efforts, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government has distributed 3.5 lakh priority cards and have undertaken various modernisation efforts, including automation of the ration supply system, Aadhaar seeding of ration cards, and delivering ration goods to tribal and coastal communities in far-flung areas using mobile ration shops. Successive governments had utilised over ₹10,000 crore during the past seven years to control price rise, he said.
Pledging steps to upgrade all ration shops as K-Stores in a phased manner, Mr. Vijayan said the launch of such outlets would have no bearing on Akshaya centres. Rreacting to reports that the K-Stores could impact the common service centres, he said Akshaya centres should evolve in tune with changing times to become a general service provider ensuring a gamut of online services.
Scientific godowns
Elaborating on the efforts made to modernise the sector, the Chief Minister said scientific godowns would be established at Vellarikundu in Kasaragod, Payyanur in Kannur, and Konni in Pathanamthitta at ₹17 crore. GPS tracking systems had been fitted in 475 vehicles used to deliver essential commodities in order to prevent pilferage.
Presiding over the function, Food and Civil Supplies Minister G.R. Anil said the 108 K-Stores would be fully functional by May 30. The project would be extended to 1,000 shops in rural areas by the end of this fiscal year.
Revenue Minister K. Rajan; Higher Education Minister R. Bindu; Devaswom Minister K. Radhakrishnan; P. Balachandran, MLA; Thrissur Mayor M.K. Varghese; Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs department Secretary P.M. Ali Asgar Pasha; and Commissioner of Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs D. Sajith Babu; took part.
