Fair price shop dealers threaten indefinite strike in Rajasthan

Jaipur: The All-India Fair Price Shop Dealers' Federation (AIFPSDF) has threatened an indefinite strike if the state govt failed to implement a policy to compensate for handling losses incurred by dealers.
Rajasthan remains the only state yet to introduce such a policy, despite provisions under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) that allow state govts to compensate for these losses, federation members claimed.
"Under the NFSA, states have the authority to compensate for handling losses, but the Rajasthan govt has yet to act," said Dimple Sharma, state president of AIFPSDF. "While other states have made provisions, Rajasthan has not introduced any policy to provide relief to FPS dealers."
Sharma warned that if the govt does not adopt a policy soon, FPS dealers in the state will go on an indefinite strike. "We are also planning a nationwide strike if our demands are ignored," she added.
Dealers said, during loading, unloading, storage, and distribution, a natural loss in quantity occurs, commonly referred to as handling loss. However, during surprise inspections, any shortage of food grains found in an FPS can result in disciplinary action, and in many cases, an FIR is lodged under Section 3/7 of the Essential Commodities Act.
"While the central govt compensates the FCI for such losses, the state govt has the power to compensate dealers," a dealer said. "In Rajasthan, there is no existing policy for this," he added.
FPS dealers have urged the govt to act immediately, warning that without intervention, they will be forced to halt operations, disrupting the public distribution system.