Agartala, January 30, 2024: In a bid to fortify the public distribution system, the Minister of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department, Sushanta Chowdhury on Tuesday announced the opening of 51 additional fair price shops across the state and introduction of dairy products in 15 ration shops of pilot basis.

In a press conference at the Secretariat’s Press Conference Hall here in Agartala city on Tuesday afternoon, Chowdhury emphasized the importance of bolstering the existing network of increasing demand for essential commodities. Presently, the state boasts a total of 2,600 fair price shops, with 252 new ones inaugurated over the past five years.

The latest decision will see 51 new fair price shops strategically distributed across different subdivisions, specifically targeting areas with 800 or more ration cards. The subdivisions identified for the new fair price shops include Dharmanagar (7), Panisagar (1), Kanchanpur (1), Kailashahar (3), Kumarghat (5), Kamalpur (2), Khowai (1), Teliamura (2), Jirania (6), Mohanpur (1), Bishalgarh (1), Sadar (2), Sonamura (6), Udaipur (8), Belonia (1), Sabroom (3), and Karbook (1).

In addition to the expansion of fair price shops, Minister Sushanta Chowdhury unveiled other pivotal decisions by the Food Department during the press conference. Notably, all ration card holders in the state will receive an additional five kilograms of rice per card at a subsidized rate of Rs 13 per kilogram for the next two months, February and March 2024. This initiative is expected to allocate around 10,000 metric tons of rice to the Food Department during this period.

Furthermore, addressing labour concerns within the department, Minister Chowdhury announced a significant increase in the daily wages of the 26 women workers engaged in cleaning at the central store of the Food department at Arundhatinagar in Agartala city, raising their wages from Rs 150 to Rs 306.

In a pioneering move, the Food Minister disclosed that dairy products from Gomati Dairy Farm will now be available through fair price shops. Commencing as a pilot project, items such as Gomati ice cream, curd, ghee, and paneer will be initially offered at 15 fair price shops in various areas of Sadar Sub-division. The success of this endeavour may pave the way for extending the service to other divisions across the state.

In the press conference, Food Secretary Raval Hemendra Kumar, Director Nirmal Adhikari, and Deputy Director Animesh Debbarma were also present.