PATN: State food and consumer protection minister Leshi Singh in the state assembly on Thursday said that the government, at present, has no intention to increase the amount of dealer margin money beyond that already fixed for those who are running the public distribution system (PDS) shops.
Her statement has gained significance, as around 48,000 PDS shop dealers have decided to mount pressure on the Centre and the state government to increase the margin money and they have planned a demonstration in Delhi.
The state food and consumer protection minister presented the government's point of view while giving reply to the starred question of BJP member Lakhendra Kumar Raushan, who argued that the commission paid to the PDS shop dealers in the state was less than what even the daily wage earners were earning. Further, Raushan asked if the government has desired to fix an honorarium for them?
Pointing out that there is no provision for the payment of honorarium to the PDS shop owners either at the level of the Centre or the state government, Singh said that earlier, the PDS dealers were getting margin money at the rate of Rs 70 per quintal in the state.
The government increased the commission or the dealer's margin money to Rs 90 per quintal, including Rs 10 paid by the Centre and an equal amount of the same by the state government from April 1 last year. Later, she said that the state has 16.15 lakh ration card holders, and new claimants were being also included under a due process.
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