Pilot study to enhance viability of 60 fair price shops underway: Govt

A pilot study is underway in the country to enhance the viability of 60 fair price shops, also called ration shops, across four cities -- Hyderabad, Ghaziabad, Jaipur and Ahmedabad, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.

This initiative, supported by the Centre in collaboration with respective state governments, aims to provide essential assistance to Fair Price Shops (FPS) operators through partnerships with the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) for working capital and B2B online wholesale aggregators focusing on nutritional products.

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Food and Consumer Affairs Nimuben Jayantibhai Bambhaniya, said in a broader effort to bolster FPS operations, the government has urged state and Union Territory (UT) administrations to introduce additional services at these shops.

Proposed services include Common Service Centre (CSC) functionalities, banking partnerships with banks and corporate correspondents, and the retail .