In a recent press conference held at the civil secretary, the Minister for Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs, Sushanta Chowdhury, announced a significant expansion in the state’s ration shop network and revealed plans to introduce 51 new ration shops in various sub-divisions across the state.
Presently, the state boasts 2,060 fair-priced shops, with an additional 252 introduced in the last five years. The decision to open 51 more shops comes as an effort to enhance accessibility for the growing number of cardholders. Ration shops with 800 or more cardholders will be divided to implement this decision effectively.
The Food Minister emphasized that, as per norms, a minimum of 400 tagged ration cards are required in rural or urban areas for the establishment of new ration shops. The distribution of these new shops will cover sub-divisions including Dharmanagar, Panisagar, Kanchanpur, and more.
Additionally, the minister unveiled other significant decisions by the Food Department. Ration card-holding families will receive an additional 5 kg of rice in February and March at a subsidized rate of Rs. 13 per kg. To accommodate this, an extra 10,000 MT of rice will be procured. Furthermore, daily wages for 26 women cleaning workers in the central store of the department will see an increase from Rs. 150 to Rs. 306.
A noteworthy initiative announced is the distribution of dairy products, including ice cream, curd, ghee, and paneer from Gomati, through the Public Distribution System. The pilot project will commence in 15 identified ration shops under the Sadar sub-division.
The press conference witnessed the presence of key officials, including Food Secretary Raval Hamendra Kumar, Director Nirmal Adhikary, and Deputy Secretary Animesh Debbarma, signifying a collaborative effort towards these progressive changes in the state’s food distribution system.
