THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: 18 months have passed since Kerala joined the One Nation One Ration Card scheme. However, not many Malayalees are utilising the inter-state ration portability facility. Only 22 Keralite ration card holders collected their allocation from other states in June and this month, until Wednesday, just 18.
Of the 90.68 lakh families in the state under four PDS categories, 5.9 lakh in the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and 32.96 in Priority Household (PHH) categories are eligible for inter-state portability. As per the civil supplies department, the number of families making use of the facility would have been up if all categories were included.
“Maybe family migration to other states is less among NFSA cardholders. Ration cards in AAY and PHH categories are considered NFSA cards,” said an officer.
However, the number of other-state families collecting their ration goods from Kerala is increasing. As many as 368 such persons collected ration from Kerala in June and 230 persons this month so far. The figures were 344 and 259 in May and April, respectively.
“Though the state has a large migrant population it hasn’t been reflected in the portability scheme as Assam and West Bengal, which contribute a major chunk of Kerala’s migrant population, are yet to join the scheme,” the officer said. The department hopes that the number will go up when these states join the scheme. Besides migrant workers, those living in border areas of other states are also obtaining goods from ration shops in Kerala. Only foodgrain is included in the programme. AAY ration card holders are entitled for a monthly allocation of 35 kg of foodgrains and PHH five kg.
JUNE 2021
Other-state beneficiaries in Kerala
Karnataka 238
Maharashtra 53
Tamil Nadu 34
Uttar Pradesh 27
Bihar 7
2 Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand
1 Haryana, Odisha, Telangana
TOTAL 368