Now, you can buy ration from any Fair Price Shop

Ration card holders in Greater Hyderabad can take their quota of commodities from any of the fair price shops in the city from Thursday onwards.

Civil supplies commissioner C V Anand said technology has been upgraded in the Fair Price(FP) shops in Greater Hyderabad to provide portability to the card-holders. Earlier, cardholders could buy their quota of ration only from the allotted fair price shop.

“Ration portability is being introduced from Thursday in the FP shops in the Greater Hyderabad limits and would be extended to other parts of the state in a phased manner. This will create competition among ration dealers and, in turn, card-holders will get better services. Ration portability is linked with Aadhaar card of the beneficiary,” civil supplies commissioner C V Anand said.

Ration portability is being introduced in 1545 ration shops across Greater Hyderabad on an experimental basis in the state capital. Of these, due to suspensions, death of dealers, leaves and resignation of dealers, as many as 265 shops are vacant.

Transferring these shops to other dealers in the adjoining areas posed problems to the card-holders due to long queues. Now, portability will help overcome these obstacles. To ensure success of portability, 10 to 15 percent of more stocks is being provided to the ration dealers. The ration card-holders need not change their house numbers or ration shops.

Anand said they are ensuring that along with ration portability, the working timings of all ration shops are rationalised. As of now, it is compulsory for dealers to keep their shops open from 8 am to 12 noon and from 4 pm to 8 pm. All the ration shops should display the photos of the dealer and the two nominees for the benefit of the customer.