PANJIM: The All Goa Consumer Co-operative Society and Fair Price Shop Owners Association has urged the Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department to temporarily suspend the authentication of finger prints for ration withdrawal with effect from June 1, so as to ensure safety of fair price shop dealers, employees and consumers in the wake of increasing cases of Coronavirus infection in the State.
According to Association general secretary Gandhi Henriques, the managing committee in its meeting resolved to seek the government’s intervention not to undertake thump impression from the consumers with effect from June 1. He stated that card holders are reluctant to use their thumb on the point of sale (POS) machines while the staff who work at the fair price shops are put at great risk due the prevailing pandemic situation.
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Henriques also stated that the All India Fair Price Shop Dealers’ Federation had also submitted a letter to the Union Secretary, department of food and public distribution to consider suspending mandatory authentication of obtaining finger prints with effect from May 1 until further order in view of compelling circumstances and to ensure safety for 80 crore beneficiaries and 5.38 lakh fair price shop dealers and equal number of their employees.
“There are as many as 530 fair price shops situated across Goa and two fair price shop owners from Cuncolim and Vasco who succumbed to COVID-19 infection while, many owners, dealers and employees are undergoing treatment for Coronavirus,” informed Henriques.
The All Goa Consumer Co-operative Society and Fair Price Shop Owners Association have also submitted copies of their letter to the Minister for Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs and the secretary (civil supplies and consumer affairs).
