CHENNAI: Ration shop workers across the State will wear black clothes and badges from September 5 to 10, demanding an end to the Bluetooth-based distribution system, deployment of additional staff and PoS machines, and payment of the pending Rs 200 incentive for implementing the Thayumanavar scheme.

In a statement, the Tamil Nadu Government Ration Shop Employees' Association general secretary, P Dinesh Kumar, said the protest aimed to draw the government's attention to the difficulties workers face in implementing the scheme and urged immediate corrective measures.

Among the association's key demands are the introduction of direct scanning via PoS machines instead of the Bluetooth system, and the full implementation of the facility, allowing beneficiaries to receive commodities through authorised representatives.

The association also sought a temporary freeze for cards that have not completed e-KYC, with automatic release upon biometric authentication. Special exemptions should be provided to women, pregnant employees, persons with disabilities and elderly workers, it said.

It requested permission to distribute three months' worth of commodities in a single instalment and to conduct the door delivery after the 15th of every month. It also sought packet-based distribution of rice and other commodities, as well as uniform working hours across the State.

The workers demanded immediate release of pending subsidies to cooperative societies, nearly a year after the Thayumanavar scheme's launch, and sought the filling of vacant salesperson posts or payment of incentives until the vacancies are filled.

The association also urged the government to identify genuine beneficiaries rather than focus on percentage-based targets and remove ineligible names, including deceased persons and those undergoing treatment outside the State.

"Ration shop workers are the ones who can make the scheme a complete success by resolving problems on the ground," added the association.