Ernakulam: Food and Civil Supplies Minister Anoop Jacob announced at a press conference that extensive preparations have been initiated by the Civil Supplies Department to control price rises and ensure essential items at fair prices during Onam. Supplyco’s Onam Trade Fairs will commence on August 8, with Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan inaugurating the fair in Ernakulam at 4:30 PM on the same day.
Onam Mega Trade Fairs will be organized in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, and Kozhikode. Additionally, district fairs will be held in 11 districts from August 16 to 25, alongside Onam markets in 126 assembly constituencies. Special fairs will run across all constituencies during the final six days leading up to Onam. Horticorp stalls will also be featured at these fairs to provide vegetables at fair prices.
The government aims to bring 1,29,078.302 metric tonnes of rice and 24,506.291 metric tonnes of wheat to the market through various schemes. Facilities will be provided for those who wish to purchase September’s subsidized products in advance during August. Blue ration cardholders will receive an additional 3 kg of rice and 2 kg of wheat beyond their normal allocation, while wheat will also be made available to all categories, including NPS and NPNS.
Distribution of free Onam kits containing 16 items for AAY (yellow) cardholders will begin in the first week of August and wrap up by August 25. The government has allocated ₹53 crore for providing free Onam kits to AAY cardholders and residents of welfare institutions.
Special squads led by District Collectors will intensify inspections from August to curb hoarding and black-marketing, while the Price Monitoring Cell will function more efficiently. Over the past two months, the government allocated ₹448.05 crore for kit distribution, market intervention, and paddy procurement.
Under the 100-day action plan, against a target of 50,000 priority ration cards, 73,024 applications have already been approved. Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan will inaugurate the state-level distribution of these new cards on August 3 in Thiruvananthapuram. Additionally, 30 new mobile ration shops (‘Unnathi’) will be launched, with the inauguration scheduled for August 7 in Kasaragod district.
Major hurdles in paddy procurement have been resolved, with the loan limit through the bank consortium increased to ₹1,600 crore. Farmer registrations will be completed in coordination with the Agriculture Department before the next harvesting season.
To achieve financial self-reliance, Supplyco will roll out a new marketing model after Onam. The plan aims to generate additional revenue through advertising, FMCG product distribution, and petrol pumps, using these earnings to streamline the distribution of Supplyco’s 13 subsidized items.
ലഘു വിവരണം (Malayalam)
സപ്ലൈകോ ഓണം ട്രേഡ് ഫെയറുകൾ ഓഗസ്റ്റ് 8 മുതൽ ആരംഭിക്കുമെന്ന് ഭക്ഷ്യ മന്ത്രി അനൂപ് ജേക്കബ് പ്രഖ്യാപിച്ചു. എഎവൈ കാർഡുടമകൾക്കുള്ള 16 ഇനം സൗജന്യ ഓണക്കിറ്റ് വിതരണവും വിപണി സജീവമാക്കാനുള്ള നടപടികളും ഓഗസ്റ്റ് ആദ്യവാരം മുതൽ പൂർണ്ണതോതിൽ നടപ്പിലാക്കുമെന്നും മന്ത്രി അറിയിച്ചു.
For more details: Navamalayalam.com