More than 25,000 fair price shop dealers in Jharkhand joined the nationwide indefinite 'Ration Bandh' initiated by the All India Fair Price Shop Dealers’ Federation (AIFPSDF) on Monday. The protest comes in against the Centre for its’ failure to provide the dealers with a minimum monthly income guarantee and some other issues, says General secretary of Jharkhand unit of Fair Price Shop Dealers Association (FPSDA) Sanjay Kundu.
"The agitation has been called to press for various demands of the FPS dealers such as ensuring minimum monthly income guarantee of Rs 50,000 for dealers, implementing the recommendations of World Food Program and allowing distribution through e-PoS device by inserting aadhaar number of the cardholders in case of emergency," he said.
Kundu said that they also have some state specific issues. "We have been demanding to increase our commission from Re 1 per kg to Rs 3 per kg and providing shop to family member on compassionate ground in case of death of a dealer," he said.
If the strike persists, it could adversely impact over 65 lakh beneficiaries enrolled in national and state food security schemes in Jharkhand, as stated by an official of the dealer association.
Jharkhand Chief minister Hemant Soren, however, on Friday during a function to mark years of his government, had said that the government was planning to increase the commission of the dealers. "The FPS dealers have been demanding to increase their commission. The government is working on this line and it will be done soon," the CM had said.
The FPS dealers are also demanding the commissions of 13 months against the distribution of ration during the COVID Pandemic period.
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