KOCHI: Affirming the state’s public distribution system’s (PDS) ability to effectively intervene in the market and prevent the surge of essential commodity prices, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan dismissed allegations of the PDS’s collapse as misinformation. He highlighted that certain media outlets were propagating baseless narratives and ignoring established facts.
The CM made these remarks during his address at the inauguration of the state-level cooperative Onam fair held at the Consumerfed headquarters. The Consumerfed and Supplyco have jointly initiated market fairs during the festive season of Onam. Consumerfed aims to enact a market intervention of Rs 200 crore during this period, launching 1500 Onam fairs across the state, CM said.
Praising Consumerfed’s pivotal market intervention role, the CM highlighted their ability to provide goods at prices 10 to 40 per cent lower than the market, apart from government subsidies. “This successful management approach is supported by sourcing products from production centres and selling them at discounted rates, offering significant relief to consumers.
In specific terms, a collection of 13 items that cost Rs 1000 in regular markets are priced at Rs 462 in the fair, leading to substantial financial advantages for customers. This year’s Onam fair includes an array of products encompassing vegetables, value-added goods, and other consumer necessities. Moreover, all cooperative societies in the state are partaking in the Onam fair initiative,” the Chief Minister said, adding that addressing the concerns of Consumerfed employees is also on the government’s agenda.
Supplyco manages over 1600 outlets throughout Kerala, catering to more than 4 million ration cardholders. Their turnover in the previous year amounted to Rs 270 crore. Despite external administrators studying Kerala’s PDS and acknowledging its prowess, certain individuals downplay its achievements by obscuring these factual accomplishments. Nevertheless, the Chief Minister expressed confidence that people will ultimately recognise the truth.
Pinarayi conducted the first sale, and Kunjamma Kuttappan received the products from him. The event was presided over by MLA T J Vinod. Mayor M Anil Kumar, Councilor Bindu Sivan, Cooperative Department Secretary Mini Antony and Consumerfed Chairman M Mehboob were present.