PMK condemns oil, dhal withdrawal from PDS list

In a statement on Friday, founder of PMK, Dr S Ramadoss said that the staff in the ration shops did not sell dhal and palm oil from this month and they refused to give any reason for the sudden stoppage of supply through the Public Distribution System. “Such issues will affect poor people badly and the government should start selling those commodities,” he said. Ramadoss also said that though Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa was undergoing treatment, district collectors claimed that there was no interruption in the governance. “If the government stopped selling oil and dhal to cut down expenditure of Rs 2000 crore per year, it is a calculated move,” the PMK founder said. “I am at a loss to understand that whether such scheme is alive or the government has withdrawn this scheme,” Ramadoss questioned. 

“Since prices of dhal and oil have skyrocketed, the government started distributing palm oil and pulses through the PDS to control the prices in the open market,” he said and added that there was only six percent increase in the number of beneficiaries after this system was implemented in the state. The common people should not be affected at any cost and the government should sell palm oil and dhal, considering the people’s need. Since Deepavali festival is round the corner, the government should ensure supplying necessary commodities to the fair price shops, the PMK leader added.