Every district will have 75 model fair price shops to mark the 75 th Independence Day this year, said the Minister for Food and Civil Supplies R.Sakkarapani here on Friday.
The shops will have all facilities including toilets, he said and added that the State had issued 12,88,983 new family cards since the DMK government took charge.
Speaking on the sidelines of a review meeting at the Collectorate in Krishnagiri, Mr.Sakkarapani said over 38,476 new family cards were issued in Krishnagiri in the last 14 months. This was in line with the promise made by the Chief Minister before the elections to issue card within 15 days of an application, said Mr.Sakkarapani.
There are 73 fair price shops, each servicing 1,000 family cards. Of these, 10 shops have been bifurcated and 63 shops would be bifurcated soon. All shops would have flex boards with the name and phone numbers of the District Collector and Superintendent of Police.
Mr. Sakkarapani claimed that smuggling was rampant during the earlier government and it had now come down with the appointment of Additional Superintendents of Police dedicated to curb smuggling in the Civil Supplies –CID Department. “Earlier, there was only one SP in Chennai, but now the State has been divided into four zones similar to law and order, with SPs in Chennai, Coimbatore, Tiruchi and Madurai. This has curbed smuggling of rice,” he said.
