The Fair Price Shop Dealers Association in Jharkhand organized a protest at the East Singhbhum district Deputy Commissioner’s office to address the issue of pending commission payments. The association has announced that if the outstanding dues are not cleared, all 1432 PDS shops within the district will cease operations starting September 1st. This action will effectively halt the distribution of essential food rations to the public.
The protest was attended by a significant number of shopkeepers, including association leaders such as Nagesh Jaiswal, Satyanarayan Rajak, Laxman Meedak, Advocate Vijay, and Vibhish Sav. They expressed their concerns about the prolonged delay in commission payments to both shopkeepers and women’s committees, which has created severe financial difficulties for their families. The association reported that despite numerous requests, the relevant department has failed to fulfill the payments.
The association’s demands include the immediate payment of commissions, maintenance and upgrades of e-POS machines, increase in honorarium, and improvements in the distribution process. The association also made it clear that if their demands are not met, they will be forced to shut down their shops indefinitely, placing the responsibility for the disruption on the government and the supply department.