| Monitoring of ration shops ...... |
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Index
Fair price shops (Ration Shops)are run by licensed dealers selected by the government authorities. the ration shop dealers must not hold any other business. The dealers must not hold any elective office like sarpanch, Mandal Parishad Member etc. The dealers must not be relatives of any government employees, especially those from Revenue or Civil supplies Department.
These shops dupply all essential commodities to the ration card holders. These commodities to the ration card holders. These commodities in turn are supplied by the government to the ration shops. All these commodities must be supplied in the quantities prescribed by the government at the controlled prices
The controlled prices as on 15 - 09 - 1998 are as follows
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Commodity |
Price |
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Subsidized rice (White Cards)
Rice (Pink Cards)
Wheat (All Cards)
Sugar (All Cards)
Kerosene (All Cards)
Palm Oil ( All Cards) |
Rs.3-50/- Kg.
Rs.7.50/- Kg.
Rs.5.00/- Kg.
Rs.11-40/-Kg.
Rs.30-00/- Kg.
Rs.34-00/ Kg (loose)
Rs.34-00/ Litre (Pounch)
(One litre Palm oil weighs
910 gms. only. The extra cost
is for the packing) |
The following must be displayed by the dealers.
Sign Board showing timings and number of White and Pink Cards
Stocks of all commodities
Prices of all commodities
Quantities to be given on each card
Key register - showing details of all cardholders
The citizens have a duty to monitor the ration shops and make sure that stocks, prices, and number of cards are properly displayed. Any cardholder can verify the Key Register. If there are bogus names, or if the names of dead or migrated persons are not deleted, they should bring it to the notice of the dealer and nearest MRO/ASO. If people with higher incomes are given white cards, that fact should be reported to the MRO/ASO/other officials.
For every village, there is a Food Advisory Committee (FAC) with Sarpanch as Chairman and Revenue Inspector (RI) and others as members. For every Mandal, there is a FAC with RDO / Sub- Collector as Chairman, Mandal President, Zilla Parishad member etc as Members. For every district there is a Fac with Collector as chairman, and Zilla Parishad Chairman, MLAs and others as Members.
There can be irregularities in ration shops as fallows:
- Display of cards, stock, prices etc not made
- Shop timings not displayed
- Timings not followed
- Quantities not given according to scale prescribed, or commodities not sold at all
- Key Register (details of cards) not available
- Key Register contains false names / absentee names
- Key Register shows higher income families having white cards
- Measurements and weights are not proper
- Higher prices are changed
In case of these or other complaints, the local FAC at village and Mandal Level should be informed immediately with all details. Vigilance(Civil Supplies) officials also have jurisdiction over these matters, and can be informed of irregularities. In Hyderabad City, the Chief Rationing Officer is the official dealing with ration shops.
Every month, the following quantities are sold through ration shops in Andhra Pradesh.
Subsidize Rice: 1,90,000 tones
Rice on Pink Cards: 20,000 tonnes (in Urban areas)
Wheat: 11,000 tonnes
Sugar : 28,000 tonnes
Kerosine: 72,000 Kilo litres
Palm Oil: 7,000 litres
There are huge subsidies on all essential commodities. Subsidy on rice alone Rs.712 crores per year. All other subsidies put together amount to about Rs. 1500 crores.
We should make sure that the benefit goes to the needy poor people and to the citizens, and not to black marketers.
To prevent diversion, blue coloured kerosene is supplied through ration shops. If blue kerosine is seen anywhere else, it should be reported to the FAC or concerned officials.
" Knowledge, without common sense" , says Lee , "is folly; without method, it is waste ; Without kindness , it is fanaticism ; without religion, it is death". But with common sense, it is wisdom ; with method , it is power , with charity it is beneficence ; with religion it is virtue and life and peace.
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