Tagged Fair Price Shop (FPS) owners demand government to allow them to continue operating

A CORRESPONDENT

LAKHIMPUR: A total of 3743 Fair Price Shop (FPS) holders of the State, who have lost their means of earning due to the cabinet's decision of tagging their FPS with the nearest FPS, have demanded the State Government to allow them to continue their FPSs by scrapping the cabinet's decision.

Notably, in view of installation of e-POS (electronic-Point of Sale systems) devices in the FPSs and implementation of One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) scheme in the State, the cabinet meeting of the State Government, last year, decided to tag the Ration Cards (RCs) of those FPS having 50 or less than 50 ration cards with the nearest FPS having more than 50 ration cards.

Following the cabinet's decision, the Director of Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs issued an order vide No. DS 81/2020/516 on August 7, 2021 by requesting the Principal Secretary of BTAD, Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong, that all Deputy Commissioners except Sixth Scheduled areas and all Subdivisional Officers (Civil) except Sixth Scheduled areas should take urgent necessary steps for tagging of the Ration Cards of those FPS having 50 or less than 50 RCs with the nearest FPS having more than 50 RCs within August 12. The list of such FPSs was sent to the districts or subdivisions concerned through email to their respective official email-IDs. Since then a total of 3743 FPS holders of the State, out of 36,968, have lost their livelihood.

On Friday, Lakhimpur Zila Kartan Jowa Sulabh Mulya Dokani Santha, the common forum of tagged FPS holders of the district, addressed a press conference at North Lakhimpur Press Club and explained the miserable plight of the FPS holders concerned. In the press conference, Ajit Hazarika, the secretary of the organization, said that a total of 113 FPSs of Lakhimpur district having 50 or less than 50 RCs were tagged with nearest FPS having more than 50 RCs.

"The government issued no notice regarding the tagging move. We learnt about it verbally from the Samabai Societies and then from the district officer concerned. No commodities supplied under NFSA (National Food Security Act) or Antyodaya Anna Yojna have been allotted to these tagged FPS owners since February. It is not such that only the 3,743 FPS owners of the State have lost their way of earning because of the tagging move, the poor consumers have also faced problems in collecting their items supplied under the Public Distribution System. Now, the poor Antyodya beneficiaries under the tagged FPSs have to collect their allotted rice by travelling 2-3 km distance and spending Rs 100-Rs 200 in the name of vehicle fare," Hazarika asserted.

He further added that the tagged FPS owners were suffering a lot after they lost their livelihood. "Now managing our families is a big problem for us," he added.

On the other hand, president of the organization stated that the State government could take the tagging move only because of the "imprudent attitude" on the part of a section of dignitaries of the All Assam Fair Price Shops' Association. "This section of dignitaries submitted written consent to the State Government and Food, Civil Supply and Consumer Affairs department, keeping us in dark, that they would not object if the FPSs having 50 or less than 50 RCs were tagged," the president alleged in the press conference.

Under such circumstances, the president and secretary, other office bearers of the organization of the tagged FPS owners demanded the State Government to scrap the cabinet decision and to allow them to continue their operation. In this regard, they sought the intervention of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to resolve the issue.

"If we are not allowed to continue our FPSs, we demand the State Government to rehabilitate us or to eradicate our pecuniary difficulties by granting financial assistance," the president and secretary demanded.

Notably, the State cabinet revised the tagging decision and took a decision on October 19, 2021 that 'Fair Price Shops having 50 or less than 50 NFSA Ration Cards owners, of which are widows and specially-abled persons, will continue their operation'. At present, the tagged FPS owners have challenged the cabinet decision in the Gauhati High Court and the case in this connection is under trial.

Also Read: Gauhati High Court temporarily bars action against Fair Price shops

Also Watch: CLEAN-RATION-CARD DRIVE: 58 Lakh Ration Cards in State Now