According to Sec. 5 of the Annexe to the Public Distribution System
Control Order, 2001 (and the Karnataka Essential Commodities
(Maintenance of Accounts, Display of Prices and Stocks) Order, 1981,
issued under Sec. 3 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955), every PDS
shop must display information on a notice at a prominent place in the
shop on a daily basis regarding (a) list of BPL and Antyodaya
beneficiaries, (b) entitlement of essential commodities, (c) scale of
issue, (d) retail issue prices, (e) timings of opening and closing of
the fair price shop, (f) stock of essential commodities received during
the month, (g) opening and closing stock of essential commodities and
(h) the authority for redressal of grievances/lodging complaints with
respect to quality and quantity of essential commodities under PDS.
Every PDS shop must also display samples of food grains being sold by
it.
It is surprising that most PDS shops are not complying with
these conditions of licence. The shops are also not issuing itemized
receipts to the customers. So the customer has no way of knowing if he
has not been charged too much. As a result of these derelictions of duty
by the PDS shops, the customers are being put to great difficulty.
Mysore Grahakara Parishat has written to the Director,
Department of Food & Civil Supplies, Mysore to immediately issue
instructions to all PDS shops to comply with the conditions of licence
and to issue itemized receipts to customers.
Asha Vombatkere, Mysore Grahakara Parishat