Federation of Retailers’ Association of India (FRAI), a representative body of about four crore micro, small and medium retailers selling soft drinks, mineral water, biscuits, cigarettes, pan and bidis across India, has appealed to the Prime Minister to allow their members to open their shops. It has also sought financial relief from the government.
Ram Asre Mishra, president, FRAI, said “We appeal to the Prime Minister to empathise with the hardships faced by our poor and helpless individual members and allow them to open their shops immediately.”
“We also appeal to the PM to immediately announce an economic package to compensate for the losses of petty retailers in daily income under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana,” he said.
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“While big grocery shops selling essential commodities are allowed to operate during the lockdown, why should our small shopkeeper brothers, who also sell similar goods of daily public needs, be deprived of to earn their livelihood,” Mr. Mishra asked.
He said these poor individuals and their families were now facing certain poverty and survival challenges.
“All the capital of these poor retailers is tied up in the stocks of essential products which are remaining unsold in their shops because of the lockdown. They are now having to dip into small savings to survive in order to purchase food to support their family members,” he said.
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“Most of our individual members have now depleted their entire savings and are on the verge of starvation,” he added.
FRAI members sustain their livelihood by selling goods of daily needs which are demanded by general public like biscuits, soft drinks, mineral water, cigarettes, bidi and pan in the neighbourhood.
The profit of these micro retailers on selling the products is about ₹15,000 per month, he said.
“The closure of such shops during the current lockdown on account of COVID-19 has completely stopped the daily inflow of the petty retailers’ income,” the FRAI said.