Ration Shops in different areas in the city are seen struggling to distribute rice among the poor people even after the first week of the month has come to an end. The owners of FPS are simply placing an excuse of not getting sufficient supply from the designated government godowns.
With no sufficient stock, the Ration Shops are either seen closed completely or are partially open for a few hours to hand out whatever scanty stock they got from the respective godowns in city. People are coming to get the ration as usual but we are distributing whatever meager we have with us from the government. We were assured by the officials, every time we approach, that the supply will be boosted soon. The delay is from the government side not from our part,” informed an owner of the FPS in the Rajendranagar area.
It is learnt that the Government godowns in Telangana turned bereft with the rice stock due to surplus distribution among the beneficiaries ever since the lockdown was imposed in the month of March. The godowns are supplying whatever the stock they are getting from the designated supply chain.
It is said that the issue cropped up due to an excess supply of the grain among the poor people after the lockdown was imposed in the state.
“People earlier used to get six kilos of rice per head. However, the quantum of dole per head has increased by four kilos making it a total of 10 kilos per head since the imposition of lockdown. This magnanimity of the government has led to a shortage of rice in government godowns which are presently struggling to get fresh and adequate stock from the supply chain and thereby making it into the FPSs,” the sources informed.
According to the official statistics, there are a total of 16,991 Fair Price Shops (FPS) in the state that used to supply rice and few other food grains on control prices to the people classified into different economic groups.
Only two districts Hyderabad and Rangareddy collectively have 1593 FPSs that facilitate the distribution of food grains, largely rice and wheat, among 87,46,487 beneficiaries having Below Poverty Line (BPL) cards known as ration cards.
