The government’s policy to reduce rice and supplant it with ragi under PDS came under flak at the KDP review meeting held here on Saturday.
A decision was also taken to write to the government to supplement rice with ragi without reducing the quantity of the former. The Mysuru Zilla Panchayat president Parimala Shyam raised the issue and was apprised of the policy change that has come into effect from this month.
Earlier, each member of a family listed in the card used to get 5 kg of rice. This was apart from 2 kg of wheat for each ration card. But from this month, the quantity of rice was being reduced to 2 kg per head, and 3 kg of ragi procured locally from farmers was being distributed to supplant it. There is no change with regard to release of 2 kg of wheat per card.
Distribution of ragi was compulsory under the new policy and it will remain in force for another 3 months. The ZP president said the quantity of rice was inadequate and the policies of the government should not put people into difficulties.
But the officials said the policy was introduced to enable the purchase of ragi under MSP so as to benefit the farmers, and the procured ragi has to be distributed only through the PDS. The new policy states that what is locally cultivated should be distributed through the PDS and hence ration card holders in north Karnataka were being distributed jowar instead of ragi. After a prolonged discuss it was decided to write to the government that the addition of ragi was welcome but the quantity of rice being distributed through the PDS should not be reduced.
