Centre reluctant to increase food grain shares for Kerala despite rise in ration card holders

Alappuzha: The number of ration cards distributed in Kerala have now crossed 94 lakh-mark. However, the central government has so far not increased the food grain shares for Kerala, in tandem with increasing population and rising number of ration cards. Over the last five years, 13.16 lakh additional ration cards have come into existence. Currently, the food grain shares for the state stands at 14.25 lakh tonnes. This was fixed in 2018 when there were only 80.92 lakh ration cards in circulation in the state. 

As a state that faces food shortage, Kerala is eligible for more share. It should be noted that before the National Food Security Act came into existence, Kerala’s food grain shares stood at 16.25 lakh tonnes. This was actually cut down in the years that followed.

Decision of the central government

The centre is of the opinion that food grains shall be distributed only among the yellow and pink card holders under the National Food Security Act. Currently, 1.54 crore people (41.37 lakh ration cards) are benefiting from this. While 35 kilograms of free food grains are distributed per yellow ration card, every member in a pink ration card is entitled to five kilograms of free food grains.    

With the increasing number of ration cards, the number of poor who are eligible for free food grains in the state are also rising considerably. However, with the central cap on beneficiaries set at 1.54 crore people, it is at present not possible to include more people. This is despite a systematic expulsion of individuals from the beneficiaries list over the years in accordance with their improving economic conditions.