The Tamil Nadu government has decided to reconsider the norms for opening fair price shops.
A seven-member committee has been formed. Headed by the Commissioner of Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection, the committee consists of the Registrar of Cooperative Societies, the Managing Director of the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation, the nominee of the Department of Finance, the Tiruchi Collector, and the Joint Commissioner of Land Administration. The secretary, Consumer Protection Council, Tamil Nadu, Tiruchi, is the non-official member.
There are two special invitees: the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and the Managing Director of the Tamil Nadu Corporation for Development of Women. The committee has been given three months to submit its report, according to a Government Order issued last week.
According to the policy note of the Food and Civil Supplies Department placed in the Assembly recently, the number of fair price shops is 35,296, most of which are being run by cooperative institutions. After the DMK assumed office on May 7, about 3.38 lakh cards had been issued till July 31. At present, the total number of cards stands at 2.13 crore, including 2.09 crore cards eligible for rice.
Broadly, there are two reasons for the government’s decision. Urbanisation, horizontal expansion of towns, the increasing application of technology and the changes in the population density constitute the primary reason. Secondly, the norms do not allow more fair price shops to be opened, though the number of cards is going up with the population increase. The recent developments such as biometric authentication and card portability under One Nation One Ration Card also have a bearing on the system.
A fair price shops handles an average of 1,500 cards. In several cases, the number goes up to 2,000; in a handful of cases, it is even 3,000. Likewise, the shops have been located in such a manner that the cardholders need not travel beyond 1.5 km. There are around 3,550 mobile shops to meet the requirements of people in far-flung and hilly areas, and these shops are invariably attached to full-time shops.
As for the proposed reorganisation, an official says there are full-time shops having only 200 cards, whereas some part-time shops handle 500 cards. The coverage in the hilly and tribal areas requires revisiting the guidelines. Another official says the number of shops is sufficient to meet the growing demand, and only some shops are likely to be relocated.
T. Sadagopan, a consumer activist, feels the government should make public its plan and seek the views of experts and consumer organisations. As the government relies on the ration card database for administering welfare schemes, people feel compelled to seek the cards, thus creating the need perpetually for opening shops. Unless there is any change in the government’s position, the demand for more shops will always exist.
