Co-op department officials blame Centre, Tamil nadu for poor admin of pds shops

Chennai: Cooperatives department insiders blame the Centre and state for the poor administration of ration shops. Aadhaar linking and procurement of substandard provisions inviting legal trouble has added to the woes of PDS shops, insiders told DC. 

 It all started with the Centre imposing the targeted public distribution system (TPDS) throughout the country. Under the Centre’s National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, the state can now cover only 50.55 per cent of the state population. But in a state like Tamil Nadu even the middle class families rely on ration shops and with the increasing price of essential commodities the demand for ration provisions is always higher. 

Tur, Urad dal and palmolein is sold around Rs 30 per kilo and this if a consumer goes to a retail shop will be double the amount, hence demand is always higher, sources in state co-operatives deparment said.

 Also, the government has been reducing kerosene allotment to TN from 59,780 kilo litres in March 2010 to 25,704 kilo litres in July, 2016. This quantity can suffice only 44 per cent of the state's requirement, sources said.

“Of late visiting a ration shop for provisions is totally a waste of time as shop keepers often turn the public saying “no stock”. Except rice, no other material is given on time. 

The centre initially said Aadhar was just an identity card, but now through Aadhar has made matters worse for the common public,”said civic activist Arani C Srinivasan.