‘PDS distributors’ claims not based on facts'

The Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation has denied claims by Kerala Ration Wholesale Distributors’ Federation that the Corporation’s stand hampered the release and wholesale distribution of rice meant for the Public Distribution System.A press release from Supplyco cited its managing director A. T. James as saying that the Corporation had only implemented existing rules in the wake of the discovery that there were serious leakages in the supplies.

The wholesale distributors have come out in protest with the implementation of the rules against the leakages, the press release said. It was issued in the wake of a protest march organised by the ration distributors on Monday.
The release said the Supplyco management was only following the rule that all wholesale ration distribution depots must be brought either under Food Safety and Standards Authority of India or the Department of Food and Civil Supplies. A Supreme Court ruling in 2011 had also issued a directive to implement end-to-end computerisation of the PDS. The Corporation management was only implementing changes that are needed to achieve the aim of total computerisation, the release said.
As part of these efforts, Supplyco had begun work for door-to-door distribution of supplies to ration outlets. The ration dealers had alleged that they had been denied permission to take delivery of rice from mills. However, Supplyco said that the process had been computerised and dealers could take delivery of stocks.