Patna, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday said he has written to Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, alleging that ration dealers are facing distress due to “organised corruption”, and urging him to address their demands, including a fixed minimum honorarium of ₹ 30,000 per month.
The government should immediately pay heed to their demands with sensitivity and transparency to streamline the entire system,” Yadav wrote on X. “I urge that prompt, positive, and time-bound decisions be taken on these eight-point demands. I hope that the Bihar government will consider the legitimate demands of PDS dealers with sensitivity and seriousness,” Yadav wrote in his letter to the CM.
The PDS dealers demanded a fixed minimum honorarium of ₹ 30,000 per month, elimination of the time limit on compassionate appointments, immediate payment of pending commissions and strict action on reported corruption at Bihar State Food Corporation godowns, according to Yadav. “I have written a letter to Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary highlighting the demands of PDS dealers who are distressed due to organised corruption, record inflation and the government’s indifference.
“Unnecessary administrative harassment and punitive actions related to the PDS mechanism should cease, and an effective grievance redressal mechanism should be instituted at the district and block levels to resolve genuine dealer grievances,” Yadav said in the letter. Regular tripartite meetings between the government, departmental officials, and representatives of the Fair Price Dealers Association should be organised to establish permanent solutions to dealer issues, the opposition leader said.
Yadav, the leader of the opposition in the assembly, appealed to the chief minister to take steps to make the Public Distribution System transparent.
