Stalemate continues, 17,000 Gujarat FPS owners warn of surrendering shops, seek talks with cabinet minister

For the past three days, ration card holders in Gujarat have been deprived of food grains with fair price shop owners on strike. 

Around 17,000 fair price shop owners across the state have gone on an indefinite strike. They have been demanding an increase in the monthly commission from ₹20,000 to ₹30,000, besides other benefits.

The shopkeepers have sought talks with the cabinet minister for food and civil supplies. With the government failing to convince the shopkeepers, poor ration card holders are suffering the most.

Late on Sunday night in Ahmedabad, there were heated arguments at a meeting between the Secretary of the Food and Civil Supplies Department and representatives of the Fair Price Shop Association. 

Though no resolution was reached, the government announced that it had accepted 11 of the shopkeepers’ demands. The shopkeepers allege that the government is misleading them. They have stated that the shops will remain closed until a written assurance is given by the government.

Meanwhile, district collectors and supply officers worked through the night, urging shopkeepers to generate distribution slips and collect their stock of food grains. 

They were also instructed to start alternative distribution arrangements,  so that poor ration card holders could still receive their grains. However, the shopkeepers remained adamant and refused to budge.

The shopkeepers have now decided that they will only negotiate with the Cabinet Minister for Food and Civil Supplies. 

Meanwhile, a warning has been issued that if their issues are not resolved soon, all 17,000 fair price shopkeepers in Gujarat will resign. Given the firm stance of the shopkeepers, the dispute appears to escalate further.