Commission for Fair Price Shop Owners Increased by ₹20 per Quintal

Permission Granted to Sell 10 Essential Items Through Fair Price Shops – Decision Taken Under Chairmanship of Deputy CM Ajit Pawar

Mumbai : In a major decision benefiting fair price shop owners across Maharashtra, the government has increased their commission by ₹20 per quintal—from ₹150 to ₹170. This decision was taken in a meeting chaired by Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Food and Civil Supplies, Ajit Pawar, at Mantralaya today. Additionally, the meeting approved the sale of 10 essential commodities through fair price shops, as permitted by the Centre and made available through NAFED.

This long-pending demand of fair price shop owners has finally been fulfilled, and their associations have expressed gratitude towards Deputy CM Ajit Pawar. Across India, about 80 crore people, including 7 crore in Maharashtra, benefit from subsidized food grain distribution through the Public Distribution System (PDS). A robust supply chain is in place to transport food grains from the Food Corporation of India’s (FCI) godowns to shops in cities and villages across the state.

To further enhance this system’s speed, efficiency, transparency, and reliability, the civil supplies department under Ajit Pawar’s leadership is working to modernize operations. The meeting approved the implementation of advanced systems like smart ration cards, electronic weighing scales, GPS tracking, and live monitoring. A new purchase, distribution, control, and maintenance mechanism suitable for Maharashtra will be developed, based on the successful model currently used in Gujarat.

Ajit Pawar also instructed officials to swiftly resolve all pending matters related to the public distribution system (PDS). He emphasized that every ration card holder in rural areas should receive food grains as per schedule, and warned that any negligence by officials in this matter would lead to disciplinary action.

Restructuring of Fair Price Office Network in Mumbai and Thane

Another significant decision made during the meeting was to restructure the office network of the PDS system in Mumbai and Thane so that each Assembly constituency will have at least one fair price office. The last such restructuring was done in 1980. Following the new structure, Mumbai and Thane will have one zonal office and five new fair price offices. Deputy CM Ajit Pawar expressed confidence that this would strengthen the civil supply system in these urban areas.

The meeting also included a presentation on the current status and future plans of the food and civil supplies department. Those present included Minister for Food and Drug Administration Narhari Zirwal, Additional Chief Secretary of the Finance Department O.P. Gupta, Secretary to the Deputy CM Dr. Rajesh Deshmukh, Secretary of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Department Jayshree Bhoj, Controller of Rationing Sudhakar Telang, along with other senior officials and representatives from fair price shop owner associations.