MARGAO: The All Goa Consumer Co-operative Society and Fair Price Shop Owners Association have resolved not to lift the November quota, claiming they are facing losses in transportation and labour cost besides food grains handling cost.
They demanded that their outstanding Rs 1 crore of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) be reimbursed at the earliest.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting yesterday, Gandhi Henriques, General Secretary of the association said that in 2019, the officials of the civil supplies department had agreed to bring the food grain stock directly to the fair price shops under the National Food security act.
“The work of distributing free food grains is done through Fair Price Shops. The transportation cost is also borne by the shop owners. Fair price shop owners have not received any money from the government either,” he informed.
He further stated that some food grain is wasted during the handling, besides there is discrepancy in the data of stock and POS machines.
Stating that they are firm on the their decision, Henriques said that families with income above Rs five lakh are not getting food grains and also many ration cards have been cancelled by the government, as a result the stock of food grains at the ration shops had dwindled and the income of the fair price shop owners too reduced.
“In other states, oil, sugar and other items are being sold at the ration shops, but in Goa, only rice and wheat are distributed which has also been reduced. The government used to increase the quota during festivals, now that too has been stopped and people are questioning the same,” said Henriques.
Henriques added, POS machines also cause inconvenience to consumers including grain merchants.
