Bengal remains unaffected by ration dealers’ strike

MP, 3 January 2024, Kolkata: The indefinite call of ration strike by the dealers did not have much effect in Bengal with the majority of the 21,000 odd fair price shops remaining open on Tuesday. 

“About 97 per cent of the ration shops in the rural areas remained open while in the fringe areas of the city, particularly in North 24-Parganas, six per cent of the shops remained shut. We have held meetings with the ration shop owners and have requested them to keep their shops open considering the interest of the common people. The issues over which they are agitating are national ones. 

We tried to convince them that the state will do its best to cater to their demands. Hence, the supply of foodgrains through ration shops was not much affected in our state,” Rathin Ghosh, 

Minister in Charge of Food and Supplies department said. All India Fair Price Shop Dealers Federation had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November pleading for remedial measures against the ‘bread and butter’ problem faced by them. 

The dealers asked for consideration of an honorarium of Rs 50,000 to ensure fixed monthly income and an increase of margins for the viability of the fair price shops. The dealers also sought a grant for loss of foodgrains at a minimum of Rs 1 per quintal which they claim as ‘operational reality’. 

The state government has already addressed some of the issues of the dealers that include paying Rs 50 per quintal of foodgrains out of a commission of Rs 95 per quintal margin. The ration dealers are being provided additional commission for making doorstep delivery under Duare Ration at a rate of Rs 0.75 per kg of distributed foodgrains and sugar. 

The special benefits in the state include the provision of a fixed average monthly commission of Rs 5000 per month, over and above the existing dealers’ margin and other commissions for the proper roll out of the Duare Ration (Ration at Doorstep) scheme. 

A subsidy of 20 per cent on the ex-showroom to motivate the ration dealer to purchase their own three-wheeler or four-wheeler delivery van. 

The average total commission received by the dealers is one of the highest in the country,” a senior official of the Food and Supplies department said. 

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/bengal-remains-unaffected-by-ration-dealers-strike-546657