Food Security Act to be implemented from November 1

Thiruvananthapuram: The Food Security Act will be implemented in Kerala from November 1, Food and Civil Supplies Minister P. Thilothaman told the media here on Tuesday.

With implementation of the Act, the BPL-APL categorisation would be replaced by priority and non-priority categories of card holders.

The priority category will include beneficiaries of the Antyodaya Scheme, the BPL category and a certain percentage of APL cardholders.

The Minister said that Kerala quota of good grains under the Act would be 14.25 lakh tonnes a month of which 10.25 lakh tonnes are meant for the priority group. This was lower than allotments in the past. The government would decide on modalities for distribution of four lakh tonnes to non-priority card holders through ration shops later.

Mr. Thilothaman said that the priority list would be published on October 10. Cardholders could submit objections and complaints on it till October 30. The verification committee would decide on complaints by November 15 and there would be seven days’ time to appeal against the decisions. The new ration cards would be distributed from February 1.

He said that the cardholder details would be digitilised. Computerisation would be carried out at all levels up to the ration shops. Once Aadhaar seeding and installation of electronic point of sale machines in ration shops are completed, distribution of ration articles could be done on the basis of biometric identification.

He said that the government also planned to do away with the wholesale distribution system and deliver ration articles directly to the ration shops through Supplyco. This would be done in phases. The Pilot project would begin in Kollam non November 1.

All other States except Kerala and Tamil Nadu have already implemented the Act.