The beneficiaries of ₹1-a-kg rice scheme are likely to suffer following the proposed indefinite strike from August 1 by the fair price shop (FPS) dealers across the state.
The FPS dealers are demanding that the government recognize them as government employees and pay them a monthly salary of ₹30,000 along with commission and upgrade fair price shops to mini super markets in rural areas, among other demands.
The FPS dealers, who have launched phase-wise agitation demanding solution to their demands, have now decided to go on indefinite strike by closing down all fair price shops in the district. Accordingly, the dealers have not made payment through DDs to the Civil Supplies Department for the procurement of rice quota for the month of August.
Unchanged commission
The government was increasing wages and providing several welfare schemes for all sections of society, but not for them, the District Ration Dealers’ Association leaders said. “We are being given the commission which was fixed in 1984 when the government launched and distributed ₹2-a-kg rice scheme. We get a commission of ₹20 for selling a quintal of rice, ₹14 for selling a quintal of sugar and ₹0.25 paise for selling one litre kerosene,” said association president Rodda Srinivas.
Now the government had stopped distribution of all the commodities through ration shop and was distributing only ₹1 a kg rice, he complained. Besides, the dealers also suffer a loss of about two to three kg of rice per quintal during transportation, he said.
Majority of the fair price dealers said that they were forced to sell the rice and kerosene in the black-market as what they earn from running a fair price shop is not adequate to eke out a living.
Alternative measures
However, the Civil Supplies department officials expressed the hope that the ration shop dealers would call off the proposed strike as the government had assured to look into their demands. Even if the dealers go on strike, the administration is ready to make alternative measures for the distribution of rice to the ration card holders in the district, they said.
“With the government supplying only rice, the fair price shops are functioning only for two to three days in a month and rest of the time remain closed,” they said and added that it was for the government to decide on the increase of commission for the dealers.
