State Food Commission reviews PDS implementation in southern districts

Tamil Nadu State Food Commission Chairperson N. Suresh Rajan chaired a meeting on Friday with the officials from the Cooperative and Food Supply Department of five southern districts, namely, Kanniyakumari, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, Thoothukudi and Virudhunagar, reviewing the distribution of smart cards and implementation of Public Distribution System (PDS) in the districts.

The meeting was organised on behalf of the Department of Cooperation, Food and Consumer Protection and Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation at the Kanniyakumari District Collectorate.

Addressing the meeting, Mr. Rajan noted that the state has 37,496 fair price shops, of which 26,656 shops are full-time shops and over 10,000 shops are operating part-time in the required areas.

He added that Tamil Nadu State Food Commission was constituted under the powers conferred by section 16 (1) (2) of the National Food Security Act 2013 and Tamil Nadu Food Security Rules 2017.

Mentioning that the Commission has been reconstituted and chairman and members have been appointed, he stated that the objective of the State Food Commission is to monitor the proper implementation of National Food Security Act, 2013 in Tamil Nadu and ensure the food security of the people in the state.

In line with this, he stressed the officials to provide smart cards to all people, especially in tribal hamlets and rural areas.

“The State Food Commission is involved in tasks such as ensuring that everyone gets smart cards in a timely manner, taking steps to provide new smart cards to the disadvantaged groups in the society such as transgenders, destitute women, differently abled, tribals and those belongs to marginalised categories,” Mr. Rajan said.

Kanniyakumari Collector R. Alagumeena, Tamil Nadu State Food Commission members Karunanidhi, Ganesan and other officials were present at the meeting.