TEAM HERALD

teamherald@herald-goa.com

PANJIM: “It is not profitable to run a fair price shop unless one sells some of the grain in the open market,” was how Justice DP Wadhwa summarized the proceedings of the public hearing on the Public Distributions system which has been commissioned by the centre. 

">Owners of fair price shops minced no words in voicing problems faced by them once they apply for a fair price shop under the government Public Distribution Scheme. 

The Central Vigilance Committee under the Chairmanship of Justice D.P. Wadhwa, a former Supreme Court Judge, held a public hearing to assess the problems that are affecting the proper functioning of PDS and also suggest remedial measures.

The meeting attended by NGOs, fair price shop owners, consumers, and general public witnessed noisy moments as fair price shop owners found the dose of English unleashed by mainly activists of Goa Consumer Action Network, too much to stomach. 

The fair price shop owners raised issues such as meagre operating costs, nil profits, transportation costs and non lifting of ration quota by people under the PDS system, while not directly admitting that they were selling the surplus grain in the open market.  

Justice Wadhwa however himself put words to the proceedings. “I have no fear in saying that the general trend is that you cannot make a profit unless you sell (ration quota) in the open market,” he said. 

On the other hand, the NGOs led by the Goa Consumer Action Network (GOACAN) and the various Civic and Consumer Fora raised issues of the irregular timings of the ration shops and lack of clarity in government schemes. 

Justice Wadhwa said he would take back suggestions from this interaction with various groups and stakeholders on the problems faced.