The National Executive President of the All India Fair Price Shop Dealers Federation, Onkar Nath Jha, has announced that ration distribution work will be halted from January 1. He stated that the commission for the work done during the COVID-19 pandemic has not been received from the government so far. While expressing the reluctance to go on strike, he explained that economic crises have left them with no choice.
The distribution of ration will come to a standstill nationwide from January 1 through the public distribution system. All PDS shopkeepers will be on an indefinite strike. The impact of this will be felt by beneficiaries across the country. Onkar Nath Jha conveyed these concerns during a state-level meeting held at the Doranda Shishu Sadan School.
“Our economic situation is not good,” he said. He mentioned that there are 25,400 ration shops and 38,000 cardholders nationwide. Jha urged the public to support them, emphasizing their continuous presence in providing service. He appealed for assistance in strengthening their families economically. He highlighted the financial challenges, stating that the commission for work during the pandemic has not been received from the government. NFSA payments are not made on time, and server network issues persist. The government has been delaying their demands for the past four years. Jha reiterated that they do not want to go on strike, but economic crises have left them with no choice.
The Federation’s Vice President, Suresh Prasad, stated that they have raised their demands from the streets to the parliament. They have submitted their demands in writing to the government, but no concrete steps have been taken by any government so far. Unfortunately, they are now compelled to go on strike. If this does not yield results, they plan to stage a protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi soon.
