The Assembly witnessed heated exchanges on Wednesday, with the Treasury and Opposition benches blaming each other for the delay in renewal of ration cards and implementation of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in the State.
The Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) staged a walkout, alleging that the lapses in preparing the priority list for ration supply under the NFSA had led to a crisis in the public distribution system and was responsible for the recent cut in the State’s allotment of foodgrains from the Centre.
Food and Civil Supplies Minister P. Thilothaman said a total of 1,47,947 complaints about the draft list had been received across the State. “The last date for receiving complaints has been extended to November 5 and panchayat-level verification committees set up to ensure that all eligible people are included,” he said while replying to the notice for an adjournment motion moved by former Minister for Food Anoop Jacob.
Mr. Jacob said the anomalies in the draft list had led to a serious situation, with thousands flocking to panchayat and village offices to register complaints. The policy decision taken by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government to prepare a State-level priority list instead of the taluk-level ranking had led to a setback in the revision of ration cards.
In a sharp reaction, Mr. Thilothaman said the previous UDF regime had initiated work on the priority list only in 2015, two years after the NFSA was implemented. “They are responsible for the cut in the State’s quota of rice from the Centre”.
“The State government has done no homework to complete the preparation of the priority list,” Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala said.
Mr. Thilothaman assured the House that Ashraya beneficiaries, workers of the employment guarantee scheme, and marginalised sections would be included in the list of people eligible for ration supply. The Opposition trooped out after the Speaker refused permission for the House to discuss the issue.
