Jharkhand’s 25k fair price shop dealers join nationwide ‘Ration Bandh’

Ranchi, Jan 1 ((PTI) Over 25,000 fair price shop (FPS) dealers from Jharkhand on Monday joined the nationwide indefinite ‘Ration Bandh’ call given by an all-India organisation.

The strike by the All India Fair Price Shop Dealers’ Federation might impact over 65 lakh beneficiaries covered under national and state food security schemes in Jharkhand, if it goes long, an office bearer of the dealers’ association said.

General Secretary of the Jharkhand unit of Fair Price Shop Dealers Association Sanjay Kundu told PTI that the ‘Ration Bandh’ call has been given in protest against the Central government’s failure to ensure a minimum monthly income guarantee for the dealers and some other issues.

“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 Programme 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 a family member on compassionate grounds in case of death of a dealer,” he said.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren had on Friday said that his government was planning to raise 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 chief minister had said.