Minister for Consumer Affairs, Public Distribution Department and Tribal Affairs Department, Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali met Girish Bhalchandra Bapat, Minister for Civil Supplies, Consumer Protection, Food and Drugs Administration & Parliamentary Affairs of Maharashtra Government here last evening and discussed various issues pertaining to the public distribution system in the state.The Minister visited Maharashtra Mantralya (Secretariat) and met his Maharastrian counterpart to know about the public distribution system in vogue in the state. He also enquired about the challenges faced by Maharashtra Government while implementing the National Food Security Act (NFSA). Girish Bhalchandra Bapat briefed Zulfkar about issues they faced during the implementation of NFSA and also gave suggestions and recommendations for implementing the Act on similar lines in J&K so that they may not face any problem in its implementation.The Minister also discussed various issues pertaining to distribution, procurement system, transportation, mechanism of running of sale centres and commission paid to the fair price shop owners.Meanwhile, Zulfkar also visited various fair price shops in Mumbai city and held deliberations with the FPS owners and their system of working. He also took stock of the multi-utility stores in Mumbai and said the Government in J&K also wants to have such facilities in the State.
Minister said that Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had stated in the Monsoon session of the State Assembly that Food Stores will be made multi-utility stores and as a Minister of the department, he wants to translate the words of Chief Minister into action. He said that following Chief Minister’s direction, he started work on opening multi-utility stores and soon the state will have multi-utility stores in every corner of the state.The Minister said that Maharashtra is appropriate model to follow with regard to opening of multi-utility stores for distribution of various edible items. Zulfkar said these stores will be opened for the convenience of the people and MUS will be kept available in every corner of the store so that everybody can use this service for purchase of essential commodity like pulses, mustard oil, ghee, salt etc.Minister has issued directions to the Director CAPD Jammu GS Chib and Director CAPD Kashmir AR War to work-out the idea and prepare the list of items to be kept available on these stores. They have also been directed to study the functioning of these stores properly in other states of India also.