Food and Civil Supplies Minister GR Anil on Friday said that Kerala has become a hunger-free state, a fact that Keralites across the world can be proud of. He was speaking as he inaugurated the nationwide distribution of 65,000 priority ration cards.
The Minister said that Kerala has written a new chapter in development and social initiatives during the last decade. The strong policies and determination of the state government ensured that even during crises like the Covid-19 pandemic and floods, not a single person went hungry.
He highlighted several social measures taken by the government to ensure food security. Cereals are supplied directly to 148 tribal settlements at government expense. The government also ensures that orphanages, nursing homes and other welfare institutions receive adequate food supplies. Besides, foodgrains are delivered to bedridden patients at their homes with the help of autorickshaw drivers, thus providing support to even the most marginalized sections of the society, Mr. Anil said.
Although the National Food Security Act has restricted foodgrains mainly to priority categories, Kerala continues to ensure ration access for all families by spending from its own resources. The state buys rice from the Food Corporation of India and distributes it to 51,000 families, making Kerala the only state in India to guarantee ration access to every household, Mr. Anil said.
The government has set a target to include all eligible families in the priority category. As part of the verification process, people holding ration cards unsuitable for their category were allowed to voluntarily return them without penalty. As a result, 2,17,665 cards were surrendered and 17,596 cards were confiscated from those who did not return them. The government was able to issue 6,50,258 new priority ration cards in five years through a filtering process.
Out of the last batch of 69,000 applications, about 65,000 families were found eligible and issued new cards. A total of 7,85,280 priority food stamps have been distributed over the last five years. Food and Civil Supplies Department Principal Secretary MG Rajamanickam presided over the function.
Published – 13 March 2026 21:19 IST
