Ahmedabad: In a bid to enhance transparency and accountability in the Public Distribution System (PDS), the Gujarat government has introduced a new mechanism under which members of vigilance committees will now undergo biometric verification while accepting grain stocks delivered to fair price shops through the doorstep delivery system. This was stated in a press release issued by the District Supply Officer, Ahmedabad.

According to the release, the key objective of this new arrangement is to ensure transparency and accuracy in stock delivery even before the grains reach beneficiaries. As per the latest directive, at least 50% of vigilance committee members — either in rural or urban areas — must complete the biometric or OTP-based verification process while accepting grain stock by December 31, 2025.

The official note also stated that the government is committed to providing protein-rich food to beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA). Items such as tur dal, gram, sugar, and salt are regularly distributed at subsidised rates. Notably, Gujarat is the only state in the country that distributes edible oil and additional sugar at concessional rates during major festivals like Janmashtami and Diwali.

For November, most fair price shop owners have already generated challans and deposited funds, while the remaining are in the process of doing so to ensure uninterrupted distribution to all beneficiaries.

Meanwhile, around 17,000 fair price shop owners are on strike over their long-pending demands, and the government has appealed to all such dealers not to abstain from grain distribution, emphasising that doing so would deprive poor ration cardholders of their rightful benefits.

The Fair Price Shop Dealers’ Association has put forth several demands, including increasing the minimum monthly commission to ₹30,000. The government clarified that it holds regular meetings with the association and considers their representations sensitively. Certain demands, being policy-related, are under active consideration.

The government added that it remains focused on ensuring the financial stability of fair price shop dealers, who play a crucial role in the PDS network. In addition to regular commissions, Gujarat guarantees a minimum monthly commission of ₹20,000 to each dealer, with the state government covering the entire expenditure. This makes Gujarat the only state in India offering such a benefit. All commission payments up to September 2025 have been completed. DeshGujarat