Gandhinagar, Aug 31 (IANS) Gujarat has extended the deadline for fair price shop dealers to deposit challans for the September 2026 distribution of sugar and other essential commodities under the Public Distribution System (PDS) to September 3, with the move aimed at ensuring uninterrupted supplies to eligible beneficiaries during the upcoming festive season.
Food and Civil Supplies Minister Raman Solanki said the state government had made advance arrangements to ensure adequate availability of sugar for Antyodaya and Below Poverty Line (BPL) ration card holders.
The Gujarat State Civil Supplies Corporation is responsible for the state’s PDS supply arrangements.
Under the PDS, sugar is supplied to Antyodaya and BPL card holders according to the number of members in their families.
Antyodaya beneficiaries receive sugar at a subsidised rate of Rs 15 per kg, while BPL card holders are provided sugar at Rs 22 per kg.
Keeping the festive season in mind, the government had made an advance allocation of sugar in August itself for the September requirement.
The allocation was made a month in advance based on the requirements of beneficiary families to ensure that supplies were available through fair price shops without delays.
“So far, 7,100 metric tonnes of sugar have been distributed to beneficiaries across Gujarat under the arrangement,” Solanki said.
For September, the government has allocated a further 4,500 metric tonnes of sugar for distribution to eligible beneficiaries.
The allocation is intended to ensure that families covered under the PDS receive their quota on time and according to their household requirements.
The extension of the challan payment deadline to September 3 is expected to allow fair price shop dealers additional time to complete the required payment process and facilitate the distribution of sugar and other essential commodities during the month.
The government’s advance allocation and extended payment deadline are part of the arrangements for maintaining the supply of subsidised sugar to Antyodaya and BPL households during the festive period.
–IANS
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