Live
- Court reserves order on Kannada star Darshan’s bail plea in fan’s murder case to Oct 14
- Cancel panchayat elections in Punjab: Sukhbir Badal
- Vistara Flight from Hyderabad to Delhi Makes Emergency Landing Due to Technical Issue
- IIT Madras’ new quantitative research lab to boost AI research in financial markets
- ED raids Vatika Limited in Delhi and Gurugram in money laundering case
- International equestrian returns to India after 14 years with AEF Cup Youth in Bengaluru
- U&i Unveils Feature-Rich Neckband, TWS, Powerbank, and Speaker: Idle Gifting Options for the Festive Season
- Studies at the Local Level Essential for the Preservation of the Western Ghats --Dr. Ullas Karanth
- US presidential election: Trump and Harris aiming to leverage PM Modi's great connect with diaspora, believes former FS
- Hyderabad Police Bust Major Investment Fraud; 17500 Victims Duped of Rs. 229 Crores
KCR’s move to scrap PDS draws Congress ire
Senior Congress leader Mohammed Ali Shabbir Sunday slammed the TRS government for its decision to scrap public distribution system (PDS) and shut down ration shops, which are regarded as backbone of poverty alleviation programmes in the State.
Hyderabad: Senior Congress leader Mohammed Ali Shabbir Sunday slammed the TRS government for its decision to scrap public distribution system (PDS) and shut down ration shops, which are regarded as backbone of poverty alleviation programmes in the State.
LoP in Council Mohd Ali Shabbir flayed the Chief Minister for using arm-twisting methods against the ration shop dealers
In a press note here, the Congress leader said instead of addressing the problems of the 70,200-odd striking ration shop dealers in the State, the Chief Minister was using arm-twisting methods and threatening to shut down the ration shops in an “undemocratic and anti-poor” manner.
Defending the ration shop dealers who are on strike for the past one year, Shabbir Ali justified their demand for hike in commission from the existing Rs 5,000 to Rs 11,000 per month in view of steep hike in transport, electricity, wages and rental costs in both urban and rural areas in the State.
'Instead of wounding up PDS and closing down ration shops, the State government should transform them into mini-super bazaars by providing many commodities under one roof for the benefit of the poor in urban and rural areas, he added.
Recalling how the PDS functioned as a backbone of the anti-poverty schemes during the Congress regime, Shabbir said the PDS was crucial to address famine, drought and flood
situations.
It was also a conduit to all welfare programmes like distribution of subsidised food grains and clothes to BPL families.' During previous Congress regime eight to ten essential commodities, edible oils, soaps, handloom clothes were supplied through ration shops to help the poor and also regulate open market prices’, he said.
But today only rice is being supplied in ration shops as the NDA govt has already withdrawn subsidy on sugar after the commodity was de-controlled. The 2017-18 budget of the Modi government allocated only Rs 200 crore to clear pending claims under the PDS sugar subsidy scheme and scrapped sugar subsidy affecting nearly 40 crore BPL families in the country.
