Cardholders will get all essential commodities during this festival season, says official

Cardholders will get all essential commodities from the ration shops during this festival season as the government has taken steps for stocking these commodities in sufficient quantity in all ration shops across the State, Secretary, Department of Cooperation and Public Distribution J. Radhakrishnan has said

Cardholders will get all essential commodities from the ration shops during this festival season as the government has taken steps for stocking these commodities in sufficient quantity in all ration shops across the State, Secretary, Department of Cooperation and Public Distribution J. Radhakrishnan has said.

Speaking to reporters here on Monday after inspecting a few primary agriculture cooperative societies, ration shops and the farm fresh shop, Dr. Radhakrishnan said loans totalling ₹38,005 crore had been given through the cooperative societies against the target of ₹1 lakh crore during this fiscal. Since computerisation of the transactions in the cooperative societies had been taken up in a big way, the personnel were being trained in computer operations on maintaining the accounts.

After procuring 2.94 lakh tonnes of paddy since September 1, ₹660.71 crore had been given to 40,009 farmers and the procured paddy had been stored safely in the godowns. A total of 99,424 tonnes of fertilisers had been stocked to meet the demand during the upcoming paddy season.

On the supply of edible oil and dhal to ration shops, Dr. Radhakrishnan said the delay in the supply of these essential commodities had been checked and hence the consumers would get the quota for October before end of this month.

“We have 3.70 lakh tonnes of rice and 34,179 tonnes of sugar now. Since the Union government has agreed to give 17,100 tonnes of wheat, the consumers may get additional quantity. Hence, the cardholders will get all essential commodities from the ration shops during this festival season,” he said and added that additional stocks in the ration shops would be stored to meet the demand during the upcoming northeast monsoon.

He said that 2,600 vacancies in ration shops would be filled this year.

He also handed over cheques to those who had availed loans.