Lok Sabha Question No. 2789 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-17
Subject: Fair Price Shops in Punjab
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal

## MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2789

TO BE ANSWERED ON 17TH DECEMBER, 2025

## FAIR PRICE SHOPS IN PUNJAB

## 2789. SMT. HARSIMRAT  KAUR BADAL:

Will the Minister of CONSUMER  AFFAIRS, FOOD  AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION  be pleased to state:

- (a) : the details of the number of Fair Price Shops (FPS) currently  operating in Punjab;
- (b) : the details of the average monthly  commission or margin paid to FPS dealers;
- (c): whether any proposal from  the Punjab Government or- Dealer Associations to revise margins has been received to the Union  Government and if so, the details thereof;
- (d): whether it  is  a fact that there have been instances of  leakages from Fair Price Shops which caused hurdles in the implementation of the scheme; and
- (e): if  so, the details thereof including the corrective measures taken by the Union Government  in this  regard?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF STATE FOR MINISTRY  OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

(SHRIMATI NIMUBEN JAYANTIBHAI  BAMBHANIYA)

- (a): At  present, a total  of  19,814 Fair  Price Shops (FPSs) are currently operational in Punjab.
- (b) &  (c):  Central Government has no role to play in determining the actual rate of fair price shop dealers' margin/  commission/ honorarium etc. The Central Government only provides the  assistance to  States/UTs for  meeting the  expenditure towards intra-State movement & handling of foodgrains and fair price shop dealers' margin under the NFSA in accordance with  the provisions  of  Food  Security  (Assistance to State Governments)  Rules, 2015 which  inter-alia provides for norms of  expenditure and pattern of central sharing. In order to  ensure viability  of  Fair Price  Shops, the norms of  FPS Dealers margin was enhanced w.e.f.  1 April 2022 as per the details  given  below:

| Category of States   | of Component margIn   | FPSJPre-revised normsIRevised (R,t, i' ,'p' p'(R,t, quintal)   | norms i' ,'p' p, quintal)   |
|----------------------|-----------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------|
| c General            |                       | B7                                                             | n9                          |
| States/UTs           | (                     | 17                                                             | [ii                         |
| c Special            |                       | 143                                                            | 180                         |
| Sates/UTS            | ,dditional margin     | 17                                                             | 32                          |

State Governments are free to fix  the actual rates, which can be higher than the norms specified in the rules. Central assistance will  be limited  to the rates specified in the Rules or  the actual average rates for  the State as a whole,  at which  the expenditure was actually incurred by the State Government, whichever is lower.

No proposal to revise margin has been received from the State Govt. of Punjab.

- (d)  &  (e):  No  such instance of  leakages from  Fair  Price  Shops causing hurdles in  the implementation of  the scheme has been reported. Further, all  19,814 (100%)  Fair  Price Shops (FPSs) in  the Punjab have been automated by  installing  ePoS devices for  the distribution of  foodgrains in  a  transparent manner (electronically) through biometric/ Aadhaar authentication of beneficiaries. To ensure that entitled  quantity of foodgrains is distributed to the eligible beneficiaries and to maintain transparency, all  the States/UTs (including  Punjab) have been requested to  integrate electronic weighing  scales with  the electronic  point of sales (ePoS) devices.

ScR seescsc