Ration dealers remained firm on their decision to go on strike on July 8 and 9 after their talks with Food and Civil Supplies Minister G.R. Anil and Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal broke down here on Thursday.
The Ration Dealers Coordination State Committee will hold a day-night protest at the Martyrsโ Column in Palayam here as part of the two-day agitation.
As a result, ration supply will remain temporarily suspended for four days from July 6, which will be a holiday for the dealers since the ration supply for the month of June had been extended till July 5 owing to technical glitches.
While the representatives of various ration retail dealersโ and employeesโ unions had submitted their charter of demands, the Ministers maintained that the government would require more time to deliberate on these. The stance prompted the agitators to proceed with their strike call, providing indications that they would not hesitate to launch an indefinite strike from September that could bring ration supply to an abrupt halt.
The protesters have raised a number of demands including revising the ration dealersโ wage package that had been implemented in 2018, amending the Kerala Targeted Public Distribution System Act to address various anomalies in the law, and to ensure the effective functioning of the Kerala Ration Dealersโ Welfare Fund.
The ration dealers have also demanded immediate steps to release commission dues for free kits distributed during the COVID-19 pandemic. They claimed the dues, running to nearly โน43 crore, have remained unpaid despite the Kerala High Court issuing necessary directions. The agitation will also protest against the alleged neglect shown by the Centre towards Keralaโs public distribution system.
