CPI(M) opposes move to give money in place of ration goods in Andhra Pradesh

The CPI(M) will oppose the cash transfer scheme under the pretext that people are selling the rice being disbursed through the PDS, says its State secretary V. Srinivasa Rao. File | Photo Credit: T. VIJAYA KUMAR

CPI(M) State secretary V. Srinivasa Rao has opposed Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s announcement that cardholders who do not want ration goods will be given money. The decision will undermine the public distribution system (PDS) and lead to price hike, he says.

In a statement on Sunday, Mr. Srinivasa Rao appealed to the government not to “starve the poor” under the guise of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme. He said the party would opposes the cash transfer scheme under the pretext that people were selling the rice disbursed through the PDS.

“If the price of rice rises in the market, the government’s cash component will not increase accordingly, which only harms the poor,” he observed.

“If quality rice is supplied, no one will give up the ₹1-a-kg commodity and buy it at ₹60 per kg in the open market. The solution to prevent illegal transportation and ensure that ration rice is not diverted lies in distributing fine quality rice through the PDS,” Mr. Srinivasa Rao said.

Those who had migrated to other States for livelihood should be allowed to collect their ration once every two or three months, he said, and appealed to the government to withdraw its decision to give cash in place of ration goods.

Published - June 01, 2025 07:57 pm IST