TS ration dealers called off strike, resume rice distribution

HYDERABAD: Ration dealers on Tuesday called off their strike following an assurance from civil supplies minister Gangula Kamalakar and agreed to resume the supply of subsidy rice to the ration cardholders with immediate effect. The state has 17,282 fair price shops supplying 2.83 crore ration card holders.

The minister assured the joint action committee (JAC) of Telangana State Ration Dealers Association during talks at the Dr B.R. Ambedkar Secretariat that their demands would be taken to Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao. He said the government gave equal weightage to ration card-holders and dealers.

Ration dealers were mainly demanding honorarium and insurance coverage. JAC chairman Nayikoti Raju said, “We are hopeful as Kamalakar assured to resolve all major demands,” he said.

The minister said that GOs related to ration dealers will be released soon and resolving of other demands is under process, according to the JAC chairman

Some shops had downed shutters from Monday, causing hardships to the poor. The government as considering opening emergency outlets.

“It is our responsibility to uninterrupt the distribution of ration to the poor people,” Raju said. He said the proposal to take up relay hunger strike from June 7 in all districts had been dropped.

Civil supplies commissioner V. Anil Kumar, chief rationing officer Bala Maya Devi, joint commissioner Usha Rani, JAC convener Ravinder, co-convener Mallikarjun Goud and others were present.