The countrywide ration shops strike called by All India Fair Price Shop Dealers’ Association (AIFPSDA) from 1 January for an indefinite period was called off today.
“The strike has been called off from today after series of discussions with the Centre and governments in different states. But we have already decided to organize a protest rally at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi on 16 January and a team of representatives will meet the Prime Minister after the programme to submit our charter of demands,” said Biswambhar Basu, national secretary of the AIFPSDA.
“We would intensify our protest programme again if the governments both in the Centre and respective states sit idle to our demands,” Mr Basu said.
The association members have already met the state food and supplies minister Rathin Ghosh and submitted a list of their demands.
Owners of 8,38,000 ration shops had downed shutters since 1 January across the country in protest against the central government’s failure to solve various types of crisis in public distribution system (PDS).
PDS in the state as well as the country was affected due to the strike.
Owners of around 18,000 ration shops in Bengal took part in the strike in protest against the central government’s failure to ensure a minimum monthly income guarantee for every owner.
With the strike, more than 80 crore consumers in states and Union Territories were affected.
“The Centre will have to ensure a minimum monthly income guarantee of around Rs 50,000 for each shop owner. The food ministry is shifting its responsibilities on state government without taking any initiatives on their own,” Mr Basu said.
“A ration shop owner gets commission Rs 95 per quintal in our state and it’s not adequate to run it giving salary to employees, paying electricity bills and rents for the shop. The Centre is sitting silent on our financial crisis,” he said.