Thiruvananthapuram: Even though the KSEB has made the announcement that Kerala has become a totally electrified state, the civil supplies department has claimed that there are 2, 77,210 households in the state this year without electricity.
However, there is a fall in the number of households without electricity from last year. According to the civil supplies department statistics, last year, there were 4,81,033 households that did not have electricity.
The fact is that these households are receiving four litres of kerosene at the subsidized rate of Rs 21 per month. Electrified households are eligible only for half litre of subsidized kerosene per month.
A total of 11, 08,840 litres were being distributed to non-electrified households per month now. The allegation is that the majority of this kerosene ends up in the black market. This means that the government is losing a total of 9,70,235 litres of kerosene every month resulting in a loss of Rs 4,85,11,750 ( in subsidy amount).
Mr Babychan Mukkadan, general secretary of All-India Ration Dealers Association, said that the existence of bogus non-electrified card holders in the state had come to the notice of the central government. They cut the kerosone quota by 1452 litres and fixed it at 15,456 litres for the months of April, May and June. If the bogus non-electrified card holders were removed, this kerosene could be distributed to eligible priority card holders. There were also complaints that this kerosene was being supplied to fishing boats by dubious elements, Mr Mukkadan said.
