Kerala seeks to continue additional food allocation

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government has requested the Centre to continue the additional monthly allocation of 30,000 metric tonnes of foodgrains to the state.

Minister for Food and Civil Supplies Anoop Jacob met his counterpart in the Centre Ram Vilas Paswan in New Delhi recently and submitted the request.

The request was made in the wake of the term of the state's additional allocation ending this month, an official release said here.

Kerala informed the Centre that it could retain the existing ration quota to consumers only if the union government continues the additional allocation of foodgrains, it said.

Jacob said after the meeting that the union minister had agreed to implement the additional allocation to the state according to the decision of the union cabinet.

He said Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this regard and the state would continue mounting pressure on the Centre to get its demand granted.