For thousands of families living on the ration supplied through the public distribution system (PDS), April is going to be a tough month as over 600 ration shop dealers have decided not to draw any foodgrain from Delhi’s Food and Supplies Department for the month. They refused to make advance payment to lift the ration, demanding either increase in margin money from 70 paise per kg to Rs2.10 per kg or a fixed monthly salary. There are around 2,200 ration shop dealers across the city. They are supposed to deposit advance bank draft by the 7th of every month to draw the grains for the next month.
On an average, a ration shop owner gets around Rs8,795 as commission every month. According to Ration Shop Dealers’ Association, the commission is too less and one cannot run a ration shop with this amount. The association had raised the issue with Food and Civil Supplies Minister Asim Ahmed Khan and met Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at his Janata Darbar, but failed to get any positive response from them.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Friday said that the Government will make temporary arrangement to distribute ration to the poorest of poor people in case of cancellation or suspension of licence of ration shop dealers. Delhi Ration Shop Dealers’ Association president Shiv Kumar Garg told The Pioneer that they have urged the authorities and the Government to either pay a fixed salary or increase the commission from the existing 70 paisa per kg to Rs2.10 per kg.
“To run a ration shop, one needs Rs25,000 to Rs30,000 per month. We have been asking the Government to increase commission from 70 paisa to Rs2.10 per kg,” said Garg. He also alleged that the Government never releases commission on time. “The commission amount is still due for the month of January and February,” Garg said. When asked about the ongoing issue with ration dealers, officials said that only 600 fair price shop dealers have not deposited their advance payment/draft to draw food items/grains for the next month, out of 2,400 registered ration shop dealers in the national Capital.
Officials have also denied that commission has not been paid to ration shop dealers since February 2014. “The commission has been paid till December 2014 and details have been put on department’s website,” officials said, adding that the commission for January and February will be released within a day or two.
Officials said that a section of ration shop dealers who indulged in black-marketing of foodgrains or diversion of grains in retail market, are trying to create a mess in PDS and deliberately creating a problem for the department. It is noted that the Government has increased the rate of commission from 35 to 70 paisa per kg in Delhi that is the highest in the country. The department has directed ration shop owners to deduct their commission while depositing advance payment to lift grain for the next month.
The Food and Supplies department distributes over three lakh quintals grains that include 2.40 lakh quintals wheat every month to the poorest of poor people in the city. There are 16-17 lakh National Food Security Card holders in Delhi. It is estimated that 55-60 lakh poor people are getting benefit from the scheme.
According to the national food security scheme, each family is being provided wheat at Rs 2 per kilogram, rice at Rs 3 per kilogram and coarse grains at Re 1 per kg per month. Antyodaya families are still eligible to receive 35 kg of grain per month while the other beneficiaries would get five kg per person. In February, at least 32 licences of ration dealers were cancelled as they refused to make advance payment and lift ration.