Fair price shops in Gujarat call off strike after government assurance

The owners of fair price shops in Gujarat called off their strike on Thursday after the state government promised to look into their demands after Diwali. The owners of around 17,000 public distribution system (PDS) shops had on Wednesday gone on indefinite strike accusing the government of going back on its promise to pay a minimum monthly commission of Rs 20,000 to them irrespective of the number of ration card holders a shop served.

The government later added a clause that only those shops serving less than 300 card holders would be eligible for the commission.

''The shop owners association had decided to go on strike, but in view of the Diwali festival, we requested it to resume public distribution. We will sit together after Diwali and try to find a solution to their just demands,'' Food and Civil Supply Minister Kunvarji Bavaliya said.

Speaking at the joint press conference, Gujarat Fair Price Shop Owners and Kerosene License Holders Association president Prahlad Modi said the association decided to call off the strike after assurance by the government that their demands will be fulfilled within 15 days of Diwali.

''Trusting the government to take a decision in favour of shop owners, we have called off the strike. I would also like to tell Kunvarji Bavaliya that we will resume the strike if the government breaks its promise,'' he said.

Fair price shop owners have also raised a concern over the `discrepancy' of 1-2 kg per bag of items supplied under the PDS which they claim causes them a loss.

Prahlad Modi is the brother of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Bavaliya had earlier told reporters that an amount of Rs 3.53 crore has been paid as part of the payment of minimum commission.

"Ahead of Diwali, the government has made arrangements in advance and distributed 95 per cent of food to 72.51 lakh beneficiary families in October 2023. The cardholders who were left behind in October will be given foodgrains in November," the minister said.