The Nagaland Fair Price Shop Association (ANFPSA) attended the Annual Conference on PDS 2024 held at the Dr. Ambedkar International Centre (auditorium) at 15 Janpath, New Delhi on July 25 and 26.
Following the conference, the India Fair Price Shop Dealers’ Federation submitted its long – standing problems and their proposed remedial measures to Pralhad Venkatesh Joshi, Union Minister, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and New & Renewable Energy.
The remedial measures have been proposed to prevent imminent financial decay. The submissions included:
(1) The number of beneficiaries under the NFSA was fixed on the basis of the Census population of 2011 but now in 2024, even after a lapse of about 14 (fourteen) long years, it has not been revised and updated leaving quite a large number of beneficiaries deprived because of such obsolete figure of eligible beneficiaries.
(2) We have been pressing for years for enhancing our Margins and after long persuasion, Government of India pleased to entrust “World Food Program” to examine our problems and submit their report with recommendations. The 3rd party agency submitted their report as back as in February 2020. But sadly, only Rs. 20/- per quintal for General Category States and Rs. 37/- per quintal for Special Category States was increased in as the Margin for the Fair Price Shops on adhoc basis in April 2022 without paying any credence to the recommendations. Since then, no further increase has been made on the ground that as per National Food Security Act guideline review should be made periodically for ensuring viability of the Fair Price Shop operations similar to Pay Commission which may be amended on the demand of the situation. We would beg of you kindly to consider enhancing the Margins of the Fair Price Shop Dealers for the sake of saving them and their families from imminent financial ruin. A minimum Monthly Income Guarantee of Rs. 50,000/- (Rupees fifty thousand) only for the Fair Price Shop Dealers’ needs to be ensured by way of a permanent solution to this problem.
(3) We have appealed to the Union Food Dept. for kindly considering grant of atleast 1% Handling Loss & Storage Loss to Fair Price Shop Dealers as a matter of operational reality as the Central Government is liable to assist the State Government to meet the expenditure incurred for handling of foodgrains allocated for the entitled beneficiaries. Unfortunately, no compliance has as yet been made by the State Governments / Union Teritorries of this direction.
(4) The decision of the Union Government to supply “Bharat” brand essential items like Chana Dal, Moong Dal, Atta, Rice, Wheat & other items in the open market through the Central Agencies like NAFED, NCCF & Kendriya Bhandar with a view to checking the open market spiralling prices of such items may kindly be routed through Fair Price Shops also for boosting up the viability of the Fair Price Shops and saving the Consumers from the perils of open market. Though, the Union Food & Public Distribution Department has issued a Government Communication (No. 1(2)/2024-PD-I(E-385781) dated 16.05.2024) in this regard, the operation of it has been put in the cold storage by other concerned Departments
(5) The Union Govt, has been granting an additional margin of Rs. 21/- (Rupees twenty – one) per quintal as provided for distribution of foodgrains through e – PoS devices. This assistance is provided for deployment of technology savvy manpower at the FPS and boost- up the FPS Dealers morale to learn new technologies and implement SMART PDS effectively.
(6) Unfortunately, however, most of the State Govts. Pay a portion of Rs. 21/- (Rupees twenty- one) for service & maintenance of the e-PoS machines to the system integrator and are keeping the remaining portion with them or with the Union Government in contravention to what has been directed in the National Food Security Act. We would beg of your Honoured Self kindly to consider issuing an order directing the State Govts. To pay the cost of deployment of technology savvy manpower at the FPS since the date of implementation of e – PoS machines with retrospective effect.
(7) The provision of paying advance Margins to the FPS Dealers as laid down in the NFSA are not being followed by any State Governments / Union Teritorries barring Chhattisgarh which may kindly be looked into and ensure that all State Governments/Union Teritorries abide by the NFSA norms.
(8) Even after discontinuation of “Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY)” Scheme since January 2023, FPS Dealers have not received their due Margins in full on that count in some States like Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Nagaland, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh etc.
Download Nagaland Tribune app on Google Play
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.news.nagalandtribune < Hyperlink >
(8) Even after discontinuation of “Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY)” Scheme since January 2023, FPS Dealers have not received their due Margins in full on that count in some States like Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Nagaland, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh etc.
(9) May we bring it to your kind notice that our Federation has been continuously requesting the Union Government for kindly considering procurement & supply of Rice & Wheat in Jute Gunny Bags doing away with the present system of supply in High – Density Polythene (HDPE) Bags. The request has been made because of the fact that the High – Density Polythene (HDPE) Bags are often leaky and get damaged during handling and transit which result in leakages and loss. Moreover, supply of cereals in jute gunnies will also boost up the Jute Industries and those associated with it.
(10) During doorstep delivery at FPS level cent percent weighment on bag-to-bag basis must be ensured and jointly certified by both the State Government Agency and FPS Dealers and grant of tare of empty bags must also be ensured.
(11) Pressure should be created on all State Governments and Union Territories to implement decisions taken by the Central Government for better “Transformation of Fair Price Shops” by helping them to provide services as (1) Common Service Centre (ii) Banking Service (iii) Postal Service (iv) Distribution of 5 kg LPG Cylinder (v) Approval of Mudra Loan (vi) PM Wani Network Connection, (vii) Jan Ausadhi Kendra, (viii) Nutrition Hub, (ix) Open Network Digital Commerce (ONDC).
(12) Technical snags due to problems in the biometric system needs to be cured immediately by keeping an alternative arrangement of supply by inserting Aadhaar Nos. as declared by Madam Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti Ji, Former Hon’ble Minister of – State for Food & Public Distribution, Government of India in Rajya Sabha on 16.12.2022 with a view to operational reality, harassment of the Consumers and also to ensure that they do not have to retum empty handed.with
(13l2) Maintenance of Registers should be done away with as recommended by Shri Piyush Goyal Ji, Hon’ble Former Union Food & Public Distribution Minister following the introduction of biometric method of distribution through the e-PoS machines.
(13) The Union Food Ministry needs to direct the State Governments to assess the minimum number of beneficiaries to be linked with a Fair Price Shop for ensuring the minimum turn-over of a Fair Price Shop with strict compliance of TPDS Contri Order (Para-9, Sub- Clause-5 & 6) to make it viable. This has become necessary because for lack of such assessment and a direction thereof, the State Governments are not making any Rationalisation of beneficiaries which could go in favour of the Fair Price Shop and bring a parity of viability amongst the Fair Price Shops of an area. Moreover, without assessing the viability of existing Fair Price Shops, Licenses for new Shops are being given making matter.
Worse for the existing Shops.
(14) Compensation must be granted for Corona victim FPS Dealers @ Rs. 50 Lakhs (Rupees fifty lakhs) as kindly granted by the State Government of Rajasthan.
(15) The Hilly, Desert, Tribal, Island and such other difficult to access areas in different States like Darjeeling in West Bengal may kindly be given similar special benefits of Special Margin of the Special Category States as their problems are same and similar.
(16) Withdrawal of “Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) Scheme” from Chandigarh, Puducherry, Part of Lakshadweep and APL farmers of Maharashtra.
(17) The Tide-over allocation meant for PDS in the North-Eastern States are often being allotted to the local public representatives who in their own way through Channels other than the Fair Price Shops distribute the same. Any subsidised items should be supplied only through the Fair Price Shops.
(18) Burning Problems created by the State Governments:-
(a)As per the National Food Security Act, the Dealers are supposed to distribute Rations from their Shops but in West Bengal, the Dealers are forced to go out of their Shops and distribute Ration at the doorsteps of the Cardholders. In this connection in a representative manner, some Fair Price Shop Dealers moved before the Hon’ble High Court at Calcutta and the Hon’ble Division Bench had been pleased to rule out the decision of the West Bengal Government. Thereafter, the State Government moved before the Hon’ble Supreme Court challenging the Order of the Ld. Division Bench. The matter is still subjudice. The Union Food Ministry may kindly consent the case against the appeal of the State Government on the ground that the State Government Order is in violation of the NFSA.
(b) In Andhra Pradesh, the State Govemment is collecting Ration from the Shops and distributing them to the Consumers by appointing 3rd parties. This should also be stopped as violative of the provision of the National Food Security Act.
(c) The Punjab State Government gives Margin to Fair Price Shop Dealers @ Rs. 50/- per quintal as a Margin only whereas Union Government has enhanced the Margin to Rs. 90/- per quintal and all other State Governments are paying accordingly only Punjab is an exception. The Punjab Govemment may kindly be directed to pay the Margin to the Fair Price Shop Dealers as per National Food Security Act rules and in accordance to the rates fixed by the Union Government.
