Kolkata, Feb 10 (IANS) The All India Fair Price Shop Dealers Federation’s West Bengal unit has called for an indefinite relay hunger strike in food shops in or adjacent areas to Kolkata from February 16 against the Central government’s plan to scrap subsidies in the ration system and introduce Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), food coupons, and e-rupee.
A press statement issued after the meeting of the state committee of the organisation said on Tuesday that the protest has been going on since the beginning of February, by continuously closing ration shops in Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts.
This programme has been taken to expand that movement across the state.
The organisation’s national General Secretary Biswambhar Basu alleged that the Central government is trying to practically dismantle the subsidy system in the ration system and introduce a cash transfer and coupon-based system. Although there is no direct mention of this in the current central budget, fears have been expressed that an attempt may be made to implement this system at any time.
The press statement further said that the interests of the dealers have been undermined in the past by taking advantage of the organisational weakness.
The organisation is walking on the path of advanced agitation to prevent a repetition of the same situation. Preparations have also been started to file a special leave petition in the Supreme Court if necessary. For this, ration dealers in every rural and urban area of the state have been instructed to collect one Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) ration card, the relevant Aadhaar number and the cardholder’s WhatsApp number from their respective areas and submit it to the state office.
According to the outline of the agitation, a stage and a microphone will be arranged with the permission of the Kolkata Police.
A specific number of ration dealers from each district and sub-control of the state will have to participate in the hunger strike on a specific day, which will be determined through a lottery. On the day, the dealers in the area participate in the relay hunger strike, all the ration shops in the concerned area will be closed. However, the administration will be informed in advance as per the 2024 Control Order. The organisation warned that this movement will be intensified if the discriminatory treatment of ration dealers’ livelihoods in the Central and state budgets does not stop.
–IANS
sch/vd