Lucknow, August 17: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath appealed to fair price shop dealers involved in government ration distribution to do work that brings respect. One should never do work that does not bring respect. This ruins generations and adversely affects them. Referring to the changes that came after 2017, he stated, "Now no one can point a finger at you. Before 2017, SP people used to keep the ration cards of the poor in their homes, because of which they would die of hunger, but such a situation does not exist now. Through the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, 15 crore people in the state are continuously receiving free ration. Arrangements are being made to deliver ration to destitute persons and persons with disabilities at their homes."
He further added, free LPG connections have been provided to 2 crore families and free electricity connections to 1.53 crore families. 10 thousand ration shops have been established as Annapurna Bhawan. These results reflect the state's progress.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath extended greetings on the third Monday of Shravan month and, fulfilling the expectations of ration dealers, launched the e-PoS-based Fair Price Shop Dealer Feedback System under Single-Stage Doorstep Delivery at Lok Bhavan on Monday. By pressing a button, the CM gave the gift of an increase in the commission for more than 78,000 fair price shop dealers in Uttar Pradesh, raising it from Rs 90 to Rs 125 per quintal.
The CM said, "With an increase of Rs 35 in the margin money, Rs 10 from the Central Government and Rs 25 from the state government, you have taken a big leap. We have written to the Government of India to increase it by another Rs 25. It will take time, but if this is done, there will be an even better arrangement for you."
He further informed, every person earns a livelihood by working, but fair price shop dealers, keeping in mind the interests of destitute persons, people with low incomes, persons with disabilities and other needy sections of society, are connecting them with government schemes. Operators of fair price shops, along with fair price shop dealers, act as a bridge between the government and the people through the world's largest scheme, ration distribution.
The Chief Minister spoke about the hardships fair price shop dealers faced before 2017. He said, "You worked hard even then, but when the government did not send ration, you had to bear the abuse. You had to suffer the consequences of their looting. People looked at you with suspicion. People had even begun to develop an aversion to the word ‘kotedar’. The fault was not yours. One sinned, while someone else became the victim. At that time, those in power were dishonest.
He added by saying, "Despite wanting to, you could not save yourselves from the impact of their corrupt conduct, because of which the 20-22 crore people of Uttar Pradesh at that time were viewed with suspicion. When young people, traders, daughters, and other common people traveled to other states, no one respected them. Those who kept their distance from Uttar Pradesh before 2017 now embrace people from Uttar Pradesh within the last nine and a half years. The overall perception about Uttar Pradesh has changed. This transformation is the strength of the double-engine government, which the state has collectively achieved under the leadership and guidance of PM Modi Ji."
The CM referred to the Basic Education Council. He said, "Some people say they will make a video of the school. Definitely make one. Through Operation Kayakalp, we have ensured good flooring in every school. The government is providing separate toilets for boys and girls, drinking water, smart classes, digital libraries, furniture, and facilities such as bags, books, two uniforms, shoes and socks, sweaters, etc., to 1.60 crore children."
He continued by saying that before 2017, there were no school buildings. If there was a building, there were no teachers; if there were teachers, there were no students. Due to the lack of drinking water and toilets, half the children used to leave school before the session was completed. Now, under the Nipun Bharat Abhiyan, schoolchildren in Uttar Pradesh have become proficient not only in letter recognition but also in sentence formation. They are also learning science, English and mathematics in school. Children are now doing well.
Without naming the Samajwadi Party, the Chief Minister targeted it. He said, "Those who could not do anything resort to allegations and counter-allegations. Such people want to turn change into negativity. The same happened to all of you. To improve people's perception of fair price shop dealers, the government started installing e-PoS machines in 2017. We said there would be single doorstep delivery, meaning ration would be delivered directly from the FCI warehouse to the fair price shop. There would be no barrier between the government and the fair price shop dealer. We would maintain direct communication, and this also produced positive results."
The CM stated, with transparency having been introduced, people in villages now respect them and stand by them in their happiness and sorrow. Trust in them has increased. On the PM's instructions, shops associated with fair price shop dealers are being constructed as Annapurna Bhawans. Rs 500 crore has been provided under this head this year. There will also be arrangements for a shop and warehouse there.
He added, "Earlier, you could sell only ration, but now there are 39 such items that you can sell from your shops, provided they are not intoxicating or inflammable substances or goods associated with conduct contrary to the country or society."
The CM said, "When the government itself used to indulge in looting earlier, how could change have taken place? Change does not happen merely by blaming fair price shop operators."
He noted that the Food and Civil Supplies Department has also undergone comprehensive reform. In 2017, if one thousand applications were received during Janata Darshan, around 300 of them were related to irregularities in ration distribution. Still, now not a single complaint related to ration distribution is received. This is your responsibility. Now no one can put you in the dock, nor does anyone make nonsensical remarks.
The Chief Minister stated, "You worked to take the government's scheme to the ground. We feel happy that what we had made available for people with low incomes reached them. Patting the backs of the kotedars, the CM said, "Even during the coronavirus infection, you were distributing ration. When all work and business came to a halt, we started distributing pulses, salt and oil. Distribution remained smooth everywhere; not a single complaint came from anywhere, and the material reached every poor person. This means the previous government's intentions were bad. They did not even increase your incentive."
He informed, on average, each dealer is allocated 100 quintals of grain. Till now, at the rate of Rs 90, the monthly income of a fair price shop operator was approximately Rs 12,750. Now, at Rs 125, they will receive Rs 16,250 for distributing 100 quintals. Apart from this, the shop also makes a separate profit. The more one sells, the greater the commission one will earn. For fair-price shop dealers, there is a 30 percent increase in margin money for the first time.
The CM said, "Before 2017, there was widespread irregularity in the food grains procured from farmers. There was no direct procurement from farmers, and because of middlemen, farmers could not benefit from MSP. Since 2017, we have been directly procuring paddy, wheat, pulses and oilseeds, millets, etc., from farmers. Money is being transferred to farmers' accounts through DBT. Farmers, youth, women and people from every section are directly receiving the benefits of government schemes."
He said that if the walls between them are removed, many things will become transparent. This also builds trust, and democracy becomes stronger because of it.
The CM appealed to fair price shop dealers to also establish their identity as symbols of trust. You should also speed up the process of constructing all the Annapurna Bhawans. The government will allocate funds. Good buildings and good warehouses will be constructed. We will distribute ration for 7-10 days, and for the remaining 20 days, you can use the warehouse for other work and earn additional income.
He further added, "If you keep ODOP products there and give priority to local products during Holi, Diwali and other festivals as well, local artisans and handicraft workers will also be encouraged. This will also strengthen India's economy. When our money goes abroad, a part of it is spent against us to promote terrorism and destabilize India. I appeal to you to prioritize Swadeshi and make efforts to take local products global. This campaign can also begin in villages."
The CM said the respect given to fair price shop operators and the Annapurna Bhawan operators, and the Annapurna Bhawan to be constructed by the Gram Panchayat, is the result of your work, hard work and efforts.
On the occasion, Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, Food and Civil Supplies Department Cabinet Minister Manoj Pandey, Minister of State Satish Chandra Sharma, Rajya Sabha MP Brajlal, Mayor Sushma Kharkwal, MLAs Neeraj Bora and Yogesh Shukla, Legislative Council Members Lalji Prasad Nirmal, Ramchandra Pradhan and Mukesh Sharma, among others, were present.
Letter of Thanks handed over to Chief Minister
Kotedars expressed their gratitude to the Chief Minister for this gift. Ashok Kumar Mehrotra, president of the UP Sasta Galla Vikreta Parishad; Rajesh Tiwari of the All India Fair Price Shop Dealers Association; Adarsh Kotedar Kamlesh Kumar Mishra; and members of the Consumer Welfare Association presented a letter of thanks to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, after which the CM also expressed his gratitude from the stage.
