THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Sex workers in the state will be given ration cards under priority category without considering their financial status.The Civil Supplies Department’s order in this regard is in the wake of a Supreme Court directive to all states to provide dry ration to sex workers to help them survive the Covid-19 crisis.An order issued by the Civil Supplies Department said the sex workers can apply for ration cards through its website or through the Kerala State AIDS Control Society. The department will cross-check the application with KSACS to avoid ineligible beneficiaries getting the card.
The GO said the column to mark occupation of the card holder will be left blank. This, according to the department, is to ensure privacy of the individual. Sex workers currently figuring in ration cards of families in non-priority categories can cancel their names in those cards and apply for a separate priority card if they wish. Aadhaar verification will be mandatory for the issuance of new cards to avoid duplication.
The order also takes care of the nature of occupation of the beneficiaries as they will not be asked to provide a residential address compulsorily.The beneficiaries, if they want, can get the house number/ward number column marked as zero.At present, the ration cards granted to families living on the streets are marked thus. However, the decision to leave the occupation column blank may boomerang on the privacy of the card holder. At present, no ration card is marked blank.
Brown ration card
The department also issued an order to include inmates of orphanages, monasteries and charitable institutions in PDS if their organisation is not part of the welfare scheme under the NFSA. A new category of brown colour ration cards in the non-priority category will be given to them. They will be eligible for two kg rice at `10.90 a kg and one kg of wheat. The wheat supply will be subject to availability. A special allocation of two kg of rice will be given in the months of March and April.