Ration scarcity: J&K demands additional quota from Centre

State demands additional quota from Centre
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, June 20
After failing to provide adequate ration to people, the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD) Department has now urged the Centre to provide an additional quota to the state.

Minister for CAPD Qamar Ali Akhoon told The Tribune over the phone that the department had asked the Centre to sanction an additional quota of ration for Kashmiri migrants, floating population of Gujjars, Bakkarwals and people falling in the above poverty line (APL) category.

“We have requested for an additional quota of ration and are waiting for the approval,” said Qamar Ali Akhoon, adding that there was no shortage of ration for the people falling in the below poverty line (BPL) category.

A senior official of the department said the department required an additional monthly ration of 737 tonnes of rice, 254 tonnes of wheat and 68 tonnes of sugar for the migrants at the APL rates, whereas the requirement of foodgrains for nomadic families was 3,564 tonnes for six months.

The shortage of foodgrains is said to be a result of the nexus between the depot holders and the officials of the department.

Though a number of major ration scams have come to light this year, the department has not taken any steps to solve the problem of foodgain shortage, which has aggravated the problems of the Kashmiri migrants,the Gujjars, Bakkarwals and people in the APL category, as they have no other option left but to buy the ration at exorbitant rates from the open market.

At present, the state is facing a shortage of about 5,500 tonnes of ration for the APL category.

Courtesy: The Tribune