Now, get subsidised food grains, onions, atta at government subsidised rates at Delhi Metro stations

Subsidised food grains at Delhi Metro stations soon: The central government plans to open retail stores at major metro stations in Delhi to provide subsidised kitchen essentials like onion, pulses, and atta to consumers, according to a senior government official. The initiative aims to address the issue of elevated prices of food essentials, which is a major concern for the government ahead of the general elections in 2024. If successful, the project will be extended to other cities with metro rail networks such as Mumbai, Chennai, and Bengaluru, according to an ET report.

The first store will be located at Central Delhi's Rajiv Chowk metro station, with an aim to take advantage of its high footfall. The store will be owned and operated by the National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India Ltd (NCCF), an organization that procures agricultural commodities such as pulses, spices, food grains, oil seeds, pharmaceutical items and other consumer products on behalf of the government and sells them to consumers at reasonable rates.


NCCF plans to open 15-20 stores at metro stations in Delhi. The plan is to expand the reach of NCCF programs beyond the current limited mobile van program.

The government's move comes in response to the high retail inflation caused by uneven and scanty rains. In July, retail inflation reached a 15-month high of 7.44%, with food price inflation peaking at 11.5% - the highest in over three and a half years. Although the government has implemented measures to curb food inflation, such as export restrictions and importing pulses, food inflation still remained high at 6.61% in October.

Read From ET | Government plans for staple food stores

By opening these stores in metro stations, the government aims to cater to a larger number of consumers and ensure they can benefit from the subsidies offered. The initiative is part of a pilot project conducted by NCCF in collaboration with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and may be replicated in other major cities with metro rail networks if successful.