Now that the electronic Point of Sale machines have come to all fair price shops in Telangana and other Android-based applications were also introduced in the devices for cashless transactions, the State government is mulling enhancing the educational qualification of dealers who run the shops.
The dealers are, presently, SSC-pass and below 40 years of age at the time of their appointment. Their qualification was proposed to be increased to Intermediate as better understanding of the technology was required, sources said.
It is unlikely that the manner of appointing the dealers would change from the present system of Revenue Divisional Officer notifying the vacancies and conducting a written test of SSC standard, which would carry 50% marks with the remaining 50% for oral interview. The test, if the qualification is increased, will be of Intermediate standard.
There are 1,037 fair price shop dealer vacancies against a total of 17,035 shops in Telangana. While vacancies for 982 shops were caused by removal, resignation due to low commission and death of dealers, the remaining 55 were new shops. This apart, dealers were frequently suspended for cases booked against them under the Essential Commodities Act and reinstated after they were absolved of the charges. On an average, there were 1,200 vacancies, a senior official said, adding that the cases were mainly for detection of variation in the commodities supplied to the shops and diversion of stocks.
While contemplating increase in educational qualification of dealers, the Civil Supplies department has recently written to the government, seeking lifting of ban on their recruitment, which has been in vogue since October, 2015, to facilitate rationalisation of existing shops. The department has also referred to the demand of dealers to implement the National Food Security Act, which assured them payment of ₹70 per a quintal of rice as commission. The State and Central governments would equally share the burden of ₹70. The matter was under consideration of the Chief Minister, it was stated.
The government had carried out distribution of ration from shops where vacancies existed by entrusting the responsibility to nearby dealers. The maximum number of 87 vacancies were in Kamareddy district while Mancherial with only 4 was at the bottom.
Mr. Battula Ramesh Babu, president of the Telangana State Ration Dealers Welfare Association, said raising educational qualification of dealers was not warranted because the new technology was much like operating cell phones which even illiterate people handled. He justified resignation of dealers because they had got a pittance of ₹ 2,000 at ₹ 20 a quintal while the establishment charges were ₹ 8,000 to ₹10,000 a month.
