Fair price shops have come into operation across the country since Saturday. Public entities, with the coordination of the government, opened fair-price shops in various locations across the country on Friday to provide relief by selling essential commodities at a discount to people during the festivals.
The Food Management and Trading Company Limited (FMTC), Salt Trading Corporation (STC) and Dairy Development Corporation (DDC) have run discount shops through their offices, depots, dealers in the capital and beyond.
Consumers can buy essential items at a discount from the fair price shops until the Chhatha festival. Minister for Industry Commerce and Supplies Dilendra Prasad Badu officially inaugurated the fair price shop at FMTC’s outlet in Thapathali today.
He urged the consumers to purchase the essential goods from the discount shops inside and outside the Valley.
“The aim of the fair price shops is to provide quality goods at a discounted rate and also control the artificial price hikes during the time of high demand of food items in festivals,” he said.
He urged the public enterprises to run the shops smoothly throughout the festivals with the target of the government for providing relief to general people. Secretary at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies Dr. Toya Narayan Gyawali urged the public entities to expand their service area to reach more people.
The fair-price shops run by STC and FMTC have opened in dozens of places in the Kathmandu Valley, including Kalimati, Koteshwor, Nakhu, Ramshapath, Satungal, Thapathali, Jadibuti, Prayagpokhari, Jawalakhel, and Surya Binayak.
Outside the valley, convenience stores of STC and FMTC will be operated in 77 more places. The public enterprises have been operating the fair-price shops in the Valley for a decade in order to provide essential goods at discount rates and control the artificial price hikes by the traders during the high demand season as well.
Discount offers from Rs. 2 to Rs. 50 per kg/litre
In the fair price shops, a discount of Rs. 7 per kg on various varieties of rice, lentils, beaten rice, cooking oil, wheat flour, Rs. 2 per kg on salt and Rs. 10 per kilogram on Karnali beans.
The FMTC will sell live goats from its Thapathali depot at a discount of Rs. 10 per kg. The FMTC has planned to sell around 3,000 goats and mountain goats from Ghatasthapana to control market price of meat. Similarly, the DDC will offer a discount of Rs. 50 per kg on ghee, Rs. 20 per kg on cheese and paneer and Rs. 10 per litre on curd from its outlets during the festival.
According to Mohan Prakash Chand, chief executive officer of FMTC, they were selling essential products in 45 places of 41 districts, including the Kathmandu Valley.
“Consumers can order essential goods online. We will deliver products without delivery charge as per the order on discounted rate to minimise the crowd of people,” he said.
Sugar not available in fair price shops
Divisional Manager of STC Brajesh Kumar Jha said that the STC was selling salt and oil, among others, on discount from its outlets inside and outside the Kathmandu Valley. He said that there was no sugar at their outlets this year due to lack of stock of sugar.
“The STC has no stock of sugar. And the government has not allowed STC to import sugar with a customs subsidy. So, it is unable to sell sugar through the fair-price shops this year,” he said.
Although the MoICS had proposed the Ministry of Finance to allow STC and Food Management and Trading Company (FMTC) to import sugar targeting the Dashain festival, the Ministry of Finance had not given permission in this regard.
The Dairy Development Corporation is also operating convenience stores from three places in the Kathmandu Valley.
Consumers will be able to buy the products of the DDC at discounted prices from the sales booths of Lainchour, New Road and Khumaltar.
All the offices of the DDC will provide services with targeted discounts.
Source : TRN,
