The COVID-19 related restrictions, operative across Rajasthan till May 3, have forced the grocery stores to adopt new models for supplying essential items to the consumers, while the State government has launched a crackdown on hoarding, black-marketing and overpricing of food products. In addition to the night curfew in force, the markets are closed during the curbs.
Facing the challenge of maintaining the supply chain, most of the grocery stores in Jaipur and elsewhere have got themselves registered with the platforms which render standardised services in the relaxation period of five hours everyday. The kirana, milk, vegetable and fruit shops are allowed to remain open from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m.
The “Retail as a Service” (RaaS) platform has enabled the grocery shop owners to standardise and digitise their operations and streamline the unorganised segments of their business. The aggregator model, introduced by Kirana King, takes care of supply chain and marketing, besides reducing the working capital requirements and increasing the product range.
Kirana King CEO Anup Kumar said here on Wednesday the RaaS platform had helped improve grocers’ efficiency during the pandemic and ensured replenishment of essential commodities at the shops. “It has also provided diverse options to the consumers to purchase essentials from their vicinity during the limited hours of relaxation,” he said.
The Food and Civil Supplies Department has imposed a penalty of ₹18,000 on the retails in Bikaner, Alwar and Dungarpur districts for black-marketing and overpricing of food materials. Irregularities were found during 53 inspections, in which the grocers were found selling the items such as chana dal, mustard oil and soaps at prices higher than the maximum retail price.
Consumer Affairs Secretary Naveen Jain said instructions had been given to the Collectors to get the price lists of food items pasted outside the grocery shops and ensure a balance between the demand and supply during the restrictions. Mr. Jain said a helpline number had been released for the consumers and the information about wholesalers and the mills of wheat flour, oil and pulses was provided to retailers.
However, the guidelines during the restrictions have hampered the agricultural input business, as these shops are allowed to remain open for five hours on only two days in a week. Agricultural Input Dealers’ Association president Purushottam Khandelwal said since the farmers were unable to get seeds, fertilizers and pesticides for the kharif crops, the agricultural production would be adversely affected this year.
