Talks with fair-price dealers in Vikarabad prove futile

​Basheerabad:  The fair-price dealers in Vikarabad district seems to be on war path as the talks with the government have failed on their demands.  They have been demanding job security and dignity to their profession.

 So far, not a single FP dealer has paid DDs to get rations for next month released even after deadline of June 20 passed. 

Civil Supplies Commissioner Akun Sabharwal asked the ration dealers to withdraw their stir and assured the FP dealers to resolve their problems by constituting a three-member committee. As per the Food Security Act of 2015, the FP dealers are paid Rs 70 paise a kg, the center and state government share it equally. 

The ration dealers withdrew their proposed strike on the assurance of Finance Minister Etala Rajender. 
As there was no solution in sight for their problems, they threatened to go on stir. 

The FP dealers allege that the government gives no respect to them even though they take part in several government activities apart from rice distribution. 

There are 588 FP dealer shops in 18 mandals of the district. Every month 5320 tonnes of rice is distributed through the FP shop among 2, 33,495 families. 

Implementation of biometric system and portability of FP goods, transparency is injected into the activities of the FP shop dealers. 

In the event of FP dealers not relenting, the government has alternative plans to distribute FP rice through Indira Kranti Patham and women’s groups. 

Recenty, Akun Sabharwal reviewed the issue with district officials, who are of the view that they rice could be distributed rather belatedly. District Civil Supplies Officer Padmaja said that no ration dealer submitted DDs for getting rice released. The matter was posted to higher authorities. 

Orders are awaited from them for supply of rice for the next month.  She said that an action would be taken on the issue without affecting the poor.