Taking forward the plans to convert the fair price shops (FPS) into village malls, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has approved a proposal to launch 6,500 malls christened as Anna Village Mall in the first phase.
At a review meeting with civil supplies department officials at the Secretariat near here on Friday, Mr. Naidu said that the malls would be launched in partnership with the Reliance Retail and Future Group. The State government, he said, would bear 25% of the establishment cost while another 25% would be provided as loan to the dealers under the Centre’s Mudra Yojana. Products manufactured by women’s self-help groups and Girijan Cooperative Corporation would also be sold at the proposed malls along with the agriculture produce procured directly from farmers, he said.
When officials pointed out that 4,599 dealer posts were lying vacant in the State, Mr. Naidu asked them to appoint the dealers immediately. He also directed the Civil Supplies department officials to make the Anna Village Malls attractive and also design a special logo.