THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As the government of Kerala grapples with the challenges of distributing rations during a severe economic crisis, CPI (M) party members are attempting to save face. They have resorted to spreading misinformation on social media, claiming that the central government has reduced its allocation to the state.
Several media outlets, including Janam TV, have reported that the state government’s delay in handling the demand letter to Food Corporation of India (FCI) and the scarcity of goods in Supplyco have contributed to the hike in food grain prices in Kerala. There are allegations against the state government that they have been spending money unnecessarily due to favoritism and nepotism. These additional expenses have only made the situation worse.
One significant issue arose when the State food department neglected to inform the Food Corporation of India (FCI) about the required quantity of rice for the Onam festival, causing difficulties for FCI in providing enough rice to the state.
In response, some left activists resorted to spreading false information through social media, further fueling the notion that the Central government had reduced food grain allocation to Kerala. However, a recent Right to Information (RTI) report has emerged, contradicting these claims.
According to the RTI document, Kerala has been receiving the exact allocation requested by the state food department.
The report contains allocation documents issued by the Center from 2020 to 2023, which indicate that Kerala received 11,36,800 metric tonnes of rice during 2020-21.
In 2021-22, this allocation increased to 11,60,055 metric tonnes, and during 2022-23, a total of 12,11,034 metric tonnes of rice was provided to various categories of cardholders in Kerala.
The RTI document also reveals an increase in the availability of wheat. Despite this factual data, fake propaganda continues to circulate on social media, falsely claiming a reduction in food grain supplies.
These rumors seem to be an attempt to divert attention from the government’s financial crisis, which has been exacerbated by unnecessary expenditures by the state government.
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