Scores of Uttarakhand Fair Rate Ration Dealer Association members from Dehradun, Almora and some other places of the State staged a demonstration in the city on Wednesday, protesting against the State Government’s decision to transfer subsidy amount into the accounts of the APl cardholders while doing away with the system of providing them with subsidised food grains under public distribution system. However, a senior Government officer warned that the license of the PDS dealers would be cancelled if they do not procure rations from the godowns for distribution over PDS soon. Notably, the State Government is slated to start executing the decision from November 1. The agitators’ meeting with the Chief Minister fixed on Wednesday at the initiative of the CM’s officer on special duty (OSD) Virendra Panwar was not held as the CM was preoccupied with other engagements. The protestors said that they hope the meeting would be held on Thursday during which they would try to convince the CM of the adverse result the move would bring.
The agitators assembled at Transport Nagar and staged a protest on the same issue. Uttarakhand Fair Rate Ration Dealer Association president Sanjay Sharma said that the State Government seems adamant on shoving the decision on the throat of the common people. “The reality is that if around Rs 180 is transferred into the accounts of the ration cardholders they cannot afford to to purchase food items from the markets at the market rates. Besides, the scrapping of PDS would leave the PDS dealers unemployed,” he said.
It is learnt that around 10,000 dealers are not collecting food grains from the godowns in the State after the stir was launched. Consequently, over two lakh PDS ration card holders in the State are finding it difficult to procure rations from the PDS vends now, the month being a festive one.
Another protestor said that the farmers, the ration card holders and the PDS dealers would be affected by the move.
However, the PDS dealers seem divided over the issue. Uttaranchal Fair Price Dealers’ Association (UFPDA) is for the State Government transferring the subdidy to the ration cardholders while stressing that the PDS dealers must be given Rs 30, 000 per month for survival.