Setting a 10-day deadline on the state government to clear all transport and handling charges, the All Nagaland Fair Price Shop Association (ANFPSA) has threatened to launch “democratic forms of agitation” starting from November 11 if the government failed to meet their demands.
In a statement, ANFPSA, through its Information Cell, warned that the government would be solely held responsible in the event of any untoward incident during the proposed stir. Expressing dismay with the state government’s lackadaisical attitude towards the Fair Price Shop dealers, ANFPSA demanded to know as to why the sanctioned amount was still kept pending when the amount was already in the department’s account?.
It also reminded that the association was kept in the dark over its earlier request to the state government, through director Food & Civil Supplies for early release of the money. ANFPSA claimed that the transportation and handling commission dues pending to the Fair Price Shop dealers included backblock of 2018-2019, 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 that will also be due in March 2021.
Besides normal food grain distribution to NFSA beneficiaries, ANFPSA said that FPS dealers had also taken up additional responsibility to distribute free ration under various schemes as announced by the Central government from April-November 2020, since the outbreak of COVID-19.
Despite all these, ANFPSA said it was surprised by the department and state government’s apathy towards the FPS dealers for the delay in releasing the pending bills even after receiving the amount sanction by the Centre.
Meanwhile, ANFPSA has appealed to the beneficiaries and the public to understand and support their genuine cause. It said that the form of agitation has been strategically worked out with the cooperation and support of all the All India Fair Price Shop Dealers’ Federation and its constituent district units.