Thiruvananthapuram: Food and civil supplies department has finalised extensive Onam preparations, including large-scale market intervention, free kits for vulnerable families and special ration supplies for non-priority cardholders, food and civil supplies minister Anoop Jacob said on Monday.To stabilise rice prices during the season, the govt will release 1.65 lakh metric tonnes of rice and 24,506 MT of wheat into the market. Special subsidised ration distribution for non-priority (blue card) beneficiaries will begin next month. Each eligible family will receive 3kg of rice at Rs 10.90 per kg and 2kg of wheat at Rs 8.70 per kg.The govt has also allocated Rs 53 crore for the distribution of 6.09 lakh free Onam kits to Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY/yellow card) beneficiaries and residents of welfare institutions from Aug 10 to 25 (Uthradam day). Each kit, containing 16 essential items in a cloth bag, is estimated to cost Rs 854.As part of its festive market intervention, Supplyco will organise three Onam mega trade fairs in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Kozhikode from Aug 8 to 25, 11 district-level Onam fairs from Aug 16 to 25, and Onam markets in all 126 assembly constituencies.The minister said the govt has sanctioned Rs 448.05 crore to the food and civil supplies department during its first two months in office. The allocation includes Rs 273 crore for market intervention programmes, including the free kit scheme, Rs 154.79 crore as the state’s paddy procurement bonus and Rs 20.26 crore towards transportation charges. He noted that the previous govt allocated Rs 700 crore to the department during the entire 2025-26 financial year.The minister also highlighted the department’s achievement under the govt’s 100-day programme. Of the 76,338 online applications received for priority ration cards, 73,024 were approved, which he described as an all-time record. The remaining applications included 1,353 returned for want of documents and 2,011 rejected.The newly approved priority cardholders will begin receiving free ration from Aug 3, with CM V D Satheesan scheduled to inaugurate the scheme. The govt has also identified more potentially eligible beneficiaries through the Ration Card Management System database and shared ward-wise lists with local body representatives to facilitate fresh applications.
