Thiruvananthapuram: A section of ration shops in Kerala will offer additional services by May 20.
Of the more than 14,000 ration shops (public distribution outlets) in the State, the owners of about 800 shops with adequate space and other facilities have expressed willingness to extend additional services to the public.
Minister for Food and Civil Supplies G R Anil will chair a final review meeting in this regard this week.
The major proposal is to provide banking services through EPoS (Electronic Point of Sale) machines. Four banks have evinced interest in partnering in the project. Existing ration cards should be chip-enabled – as in ATM cards – to roll out the project.
Other proposed services include facilities to pay power, and water bills, besides providing Maveli Store-like provisions in rural areas where Supplyco does not have such outlets.
Minister Anil told Manorama that the proposed facilities would be extended to 1,000 ration shops within a year.
The mobile ration shop facility will be extended to 36 more tribal hamlets. The facility's state-level inauguration was held on Thursday in Parassala Assembly constituency. The mobile ration shop will cater to the hamlets in Amboori.
The facility will be extended to the tribal hamlets in Aralam, Kannur, on April 28. The minister said the government had sought the MLAs' support to arrange vehicles for the project.
The government decided to launch mobile ration shops after it was found that several of the AAY (Yellow) cardholders have been facing difficulties in reaching the ration outlets.
