Govt launches pilot project to convert fair price shops to nutrition centres

The government on Monday launched a pilot project for converting Fair Price Shops into `Jan Poshan Kendras’, with the aim of providing better income to ration shops and nutrition-rich food items to consumers.

Union minister for consumer affairs, food and public distribution and new and renewable energy, Pralhad Venkatesh Joshi, on Monday launched pilot scheme involving 60 Fair Price Shops into Jan Poshan Kendras. 

Joshi also launched six other programmes - `FPS Sahay’ application, `Mera Ration’ app 2.0, Quality Management System, Quality Manual Handbook, Contract Manual FCI and NABL Accreditation of 3 Laboratories – all aimed at strengthening food security, ensuring quality and transparency in manufacture and distribution, preventing leakages in the system as also curbing malnutrition.

Developed by Small Industries Development Bank of India (Sidbi), “FPS-Sahay,” is designed to provide on-demand Invoice Based Financing (IBF), collateral-free, cash flow-based financing to FPS dealers. 

Mera Ration App 2.0 mobile app incorporates more value added features on the existing app.

The Quality Management System will help achieve integration of Quality Control labs in department as well as Food Corporation of India (FCI), enabling these labs to capture all key transactions on real time during the stages of procurement, storage and distribution using the digital OMS.

The Contract Manual of FCI envisages removal of all ambiguities so as to ensure competitiveness and bring utmost transparency in contracts.

Launching the pilot project involving 60 Fair Price Shops across four states - Gujarat, Rajasthan, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh - Joshi said that the Jan Poshan Kendras will address the demand of FPS dealers across the country for making the system remunerative. 

Poshan Kendras will offer a diverse range of nutrition-rich food items to consumers, which, in turn, will act as an additional source of income to the FPS dealers.

To begin with Jan Poshan Kendras that are part of the 100 day pilot programme, will have provision for storing 50 per cent products under the category of nutrition while the rest can be utilised for storing other household items. 

Interacting with fair price shop dealers, the minister said these initiatives by the Department of Food and Public Distribution will act as a catalyst for transformation of the FPS system. 

He said the launch of user-centric services like Mera Ration App 2.0, Quality Management System, Quality Manual, Contract Manual, FPS Sahay Application and NABL Accreditation of Laboratories will give impetus to digitalisation efforts. 

The department, the minister added, is open to suggestions from all stakeholders for bringing in further innovation and improvement in the Public Distribution System.