Mumbai: You can now recharge your mobile, DTH cards, book tickets and buy many other things at Fair Price Shops (FPS) in the city with the Delhi government liberalising the policy for sale of goods and services through these outlets for subsidised rations.
In a bid to improve the viability of the FPS as well as providing convenience to the ration card holders who visit these shops to get their monthly quota, the Department of Food, Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Government of NCT of Delhi has completely liberalised the policy of sale of various goods and services through the fair price shops.
"The new policy is the most liberal in the country," said Commissioner cum Secretary, Department of Food Supplies and Consumer Affairs Sajjan Singh Yadav, adding the step has provided a major relief to the 2500 FPS licensee in the city who were constantly complaining about lack of viability of their shops.
So far, the FPS licensee was allowed to sell only the Specified Food Articles (SFAs) provided under the Public Distribution System (PDS) and a few other items. But according to the new policy, which has come into operation from Friday, September 5, a Fair Price Shop can sell any goods or service except eight prohibited items.
The new policy has provided a huge business opportunity to FPS who can now sell unlimited number of goods and provided vast number of services through the FPS depending on the locality and consumers' demand as well as the interest, capability and skill sets of the FPS licensee and his employees. Now there will be incentive to the FPS licensee to keep his shop open throughout the business hours as he can now expect a large number of other customers apart from ration card holders.
"From now the FPS licensee can also provide services from their premises. One will be able to get services including financial services through the micro-ATM, recharge of mobile phone and DTH cards, tours and travel services and so on. The FPS licensee may become Business Correspondents of various banks to provide the financial services," he said. Yadav said that the licensee in the city were constantly complaining about lack of viability of their shops due to low profit margin on the sale of SFAs and restricted policy regarding sale of other goods by the FPS.
In view of high shop rentals and manpower cost in Delhi, they were not able to break even under the existing policy, the licensees had complained.
