Kerala has become a hunger-free state: Minister G.R. Anil

Food and Civil Supplies Minister G.R Anil on Friday said that Kerala has emerged as a hunger-free state, a fact that Keralites across the world can be proud of. He was speaking while inaugurating the state-level distribution of 65,000 priority ration cards.

The Minister said that Kerala has scripted a new chapter in development and welfare initiatives during the last decade. The State government’s strong policies and commitment ensured that not a single person went hungry even during crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic and floods.

He highlighted several welfare measures undertaken by the government to ensure food security. Food grains are directly delivered to 148 tribal settlements at the government’s expense. The government also ensures that orphanages, care homes and other welfare institutions receive sufficient food supplies. In addition, food grains are delivered to bedridden patients at their homes with the help of autorickshaw drivers, thereby ensuring that even the most marginalised sections of society are supported, Mr Anil said.

Although the National Food Security Act restricted food grains mainly to priority categories, Kerala continues to ensure ration access for all families by spending out of its own funds. The state purchases rice from the Food Corporation of India and distributes it to 51 lakh families, making Kerala the only state in India that guarantees ration access to every household, Mr. Anil said.

The government had set a target to include all eligible families in the priority category. As part of the verification process, people who held ration cards ineligible for their category were allowed to return them voluntarily without penalty. As a result, 2,17,665 cards were surrendered, while 17,596 cards were seized from those who failed to return them. The government was able to issue 6,50,258 new priority ration cards within five years through the filtration process.

From the latest batch of 69,000 applications, around 65,000 families were found eligible and were issued new cards. In all, a total of 7,85,280 priority ration cards have been distributed in the last five years. Food and Civil Supplies Department principal secretary M.G. Rajamanickam presided over the function.