Gandhinagar: The Gujarat government today announced that the distribution of essential commodities (ration) under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) will continue as usual, ensuring that beneficiaries do not face any interruption. The announcement comes after around 17,000 fair price shop owners called for a strike starting November 1.

According to a government press release, allocations for November 2025 have been made to cover a population of 3.25 crore people across more than 75 lakh families. The government has already generated challans for the free distribution of wheat and rice and for the sale of other essential commodities at subsidized rates. Most fair price shopkeepers have completed the challan process, and the remaining ones are in progress. Authorities have assured that Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and Priority Household (PHH) beneficiaries will not be deprived of their entitled supplies, and distribution will commence on November 1.

Regarding the demands of the shopkeepers, the government stated that to support fair price shop owners, it provides a fixed monthly minimum commission of ₹20,000, which is directly deposited into their bank accounts. Gujarat is the only state in India that offers such a minimum fixed commission. While shopkeepers have demanded an increase to ₹30,000 per month, officials clarified that the matter is policy-related and currently under government consideration.

Officials confirmed that all commission payments have been made regularly up to September 2025. Periodic meetings are held with representatives of the fair price shopkeepers’ association to address their concerns. The government emphasized that withholding the distribution of food grains to ration cardholders would not be appropriate, adding that discussions with the association are ongoing.

Additionally, in a recent intervention by the concerned minister, it was decided that for ensuring doorstep delivery of essential commodities to fair price shops, biometric verification of 80% members of the Village Vigilance Committee or Urban Vigilance Committee was earlier required. A new circular has now been issued stating that, during the implementation phase, biometric or OTP-based verification of at least 50% of members will be mandatory at the time of doorstep delivery, effective till December 31, 2025. DeshGujarat