Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam inaugurated 75 ‘Amma’ mobile ration shops in Theni district on Monday.
Mobile ration shops were launched in Tamil Nadu recently by Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, who had announced that 3,501 mobile ration shops would benefit 5.37 lakh family card holders. The objective of the new facility is that wherever the residents had to travel long distances to fetch their essential commodities, the mobile ration shops would come in handy.
The mobile ration shops would visit hamlets once a month. Card holders who are unable to procure rations at that time, are free to visit the designated ration shops, officials said. In Theni district, 75 mobile shops would be functioning in various parts of the district as follows and 13,555 card holders would benefit: Theni: 11, Bodinayakannur: 7, Uthamapalayam: 8, Periakulam: 16 and Andipatti: 33 shops. Presently, the district has 517 permanent ration shops through which 4.10 lakh card holders procure essential commodities including rice, wheat and sugar.
Farm loan waived
At the function, presided over by District Collector M. Pallavi Baldev, officials from the Department of Cooperation said that farm loans to the tune of ₹85.51 crore advanced to 12,488 members in Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies until March 2016, have been waived. Those who were repaying the loans now shall also remit the principal alone, as the 7 % interest on the loans would be paid by the State government to the Societies.
The Deputy CM gave away financial assistance to 178 beneficiaries including self-help-groups to the tune of ₹3.88 crore. Theni MP O. P. Raveendranath Kumar, Cumbum MLA S. T. K. Jakkayan, Cooperative Department Joint Registrar M. Ekambaram, District Central Cooperative Bank Joint Registrar A. Jeeva and DRO K. Ramesh were among those who participated.
Deputy CM avoids media
After the inaugural function was over, when media persons approached Mr. Panneerselvam, he acknowledged them with folded hands and left the venue. Though the questions were about the functioning of the ‘Amma’ mobile ration shops, he refused to speak. Surrounded by his loyalists, he moved away to his convoy. A party functionary claimed that Mr. Panneerselvam was proceeding to Chennai and hence did not interact with journalists.
