Thiruvananthpuram: Walkout over ration supply delay

Thiruvananthpuram: The Opposition walked out of the Assembly on Wednesday alleging that Food Minister P. Thilothaman was trying to politicise the muddle in the public distribution system.

Earlier, the minister told the House that the issues over the delay in the distribution of rice to above-poverty-line families through ration shops had been sorted out.

The distribution as per the National Food Security Act would begin from November 14. Chief Minister Pinarayai Vijayan said  that Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan, had agreed to restore the supply of kerosene to fishermen soon.

Mr V.T. Balaram (Cong) gave an adjournment notice alleging that the distribution of rice through ration shops in Kasargod, Kannur, Wayanad and Kozhikode districts had been  badly affected.

The minister said that the  muddle in the public distribution system was caused by the   UDF government’s delay  in implementing the food security Act.  “What the UDF government failed to do in three years, we are doing in three months,” he said.

While the Opposition flayed the government for issuing a ration card to a housewife in the name of  tennis player Serena Williams, the minister said that the data collection for new ration cards was  initiated by the previous government.

The UDF members  then staged a walkout with Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala alleging that the government was trying to politicise the issue.