R ARIVANANTHAM
CHENNAI, SEPT 21
Aiming to deliver the essential items under the public distribution system (PDS) at the doorstep of the ration cardholders in each nook and corner, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswamy on Monday rolled out 3,501 Amma Mobile Ration Shops (AMRS) across the state on Monday.
This first-of-its-kind service in the country will address the problems of cardholders residing in rough and hilly terrains as well as those living in plains. To mark the launching of Amma Mobile Ration Shops, the Chief Minister flagged off Seven Mobile Shop vans from the secretariat in Chennai on Monday.
“For a full-fledged ration shop, a minimum number of eligible beneficiary families are made mandatory. However, in sparsely populated areas like hills and interior villages, the condition is not met and hence the public had to travel long to get ration through the PDS. The government has therefore launched mobile ration shop schemes long back to serve those areas. Today, 3.501 mobile units were added which is considered the largest ever addition,” said a senior government official.
According to the official release, the scheme has been expanded at an estimated cost of Rs. 9.66-crore and would benefit 5,37,315 family cardholders in all the 37 districts.
Cardholders can buy essentials from these Mobile Ration Shops once in a month.
Earlier on February 24, the Chief Minister launched 48 Mobile Ration Shops in Chennai and 277 villages and hilly and rough terrains in Tirupur, Trichy, Coimbatore, Dharmapuri, Erode, Namakkal, Tirunelveli, Tiruvannamalai, Villupuram, and Nilgiris district benefiting 27,420 cardholders, the release added.
On March 30, the Chief Minister announced the expansion of Mobile Ration Shops on the floor of the assembly.
The Chief Minister also introduced fortified rice distribution through the public distribution system in Tiruchirapalli district on a pilot basis.
