Kerala to distribute food kits from May 15 | Here's a list of items included

Free food kit distribution from April 1, EC halts cheap rice sale

Thiruvananthapuram: Considering the surge in COVID-19 cases, the Kerala government has decided to distribute food kits through ration shops from May 15.

Antyodaya Anna Yojana (yellow) ration card-holders will get the kit, with 10 items, in the first phase. Incidentally, the kits are planned to be distributed before the new government takes the oath of office.

The previous Pinarayi Vijayan-government had distributed kits during the 2020 pandemic-enforced lockdown to April 2021. So far, nine kits have been supplied and the kits for April are still being distributed.

The Department of Food and Civil Supplies has orally instructed the State Civil Supplies Corporation (Supplyco) to provide kits to workers in the unorganized sector and those without permanent employment, people who are facing a crisis due to the lockdown. The department will issue a written order this week.

Meanwhile, the department is unlikely to accept the demand of ration dealers to avoid the use of E-PoS (electronic point of sale) machines at the outlets. The demand was raised in the light of the spike in COVID-19 cases.

The State department rejected the demand citing a strict Central government order against providing ration bypassing the biometric system. Instead, dealers have been asked to sanitise the machine after each use.

Items included in the food kit

1. Green dal 500g

2. Urad dal 500g

3. Tur dal 250g

4. Sugar 1kg

5. Tea powder 100g

6. Chilli powder/red chillies 100g

7. Turmeric powder 100 g

8. Atta (wheat flour) 1 kg

9. Coconut oil 1 litre

10. Salt 1 kg

Central ration after May 15

Free ration under the Pradhan Manthri Garib Kalyan Yogna (PMGKY) will be distributed for two months after May 15.

Under the scheme, each member of about 31 lakh yellow and pink ration cards will get five kilograms of rice or wheat, and a kilogram of green gram or chickpeas.

During the previous year, free ration was distributed for six months under the PMGKY.

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