Nagoa village panchayat becomes the first panchayat that will also function as a fair price shop after its application with the government was approved.
Under Section 3 of the Goa, Daman and Diu Controlled Commodities, Regulation of Distribution Order, 1966, the panchayat has been authorised as a retail distributor, that is for the fair price shop. The fair price shop will be located at the Panchayat building complex.
As per the provisions of the order, they have been authorised to purchase, store and sell sugar, rice wheat, jowar, bajra and any other commodity required to be sold through the fair price shop.
The panchayat was also given a set of 17 instructions on how to conduct the business and all the guidelines and regulations with regard to safety, records and financial transactions.
Their proposal had been recently approved by Vikas Gaunekar, Director of Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs who has directed the inspector, civil supplies wing – Salcete Margao to conduct the necessary inspection regarding the opening of the fair price shop in Nagoa panchayat.
It may be recalled that the people of Nagoa village have been complaining about the difficulties they face with the fair price ration shop for years now. Against that backdrop, the Nagoa village panchayat had written to the Director of Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs requesting the allotment of a fair price shop in the village panchayat of Nagoa.
This was following a resolution passed unanimously at the Nagoa panchayat meeting by all five panch members in August 2015 as the quota from the fair price shop in Verna was not sufficient and people had to walk almost 2 kilometers, thus putting the villagers of Nagoa through a lot of hardship.
“The people of Nagoa village are facing a great difficulty in order to get the ration quota from the fair price shop in Verna. People have to walk almost 2 kilometers and Verna being a big village with a population of almost 8,000 people, it is more difficult for Nagoa people as the quota supplied for both the villages is not sufficient. Further, the people of Nagoa have to wait in long queues for hours,” added panch member Anzil Godinho.
The villagers had called upon the panchayat to speak to the civil supplies department to consider their case and do the needful for the benefit of the village and so that villagers wouldn’t have to face hindrances in order to attain their supplies.
