Ration dealers, who play a crucial role in the Public Distribution System (PDS) from the State, are strongly opposing the Shanta Kumar Committee recommendations to extend Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) Scheme to ration card.
The recommendation will bring over 20,000 dealers from Telangana State alone on to the roads. “After the direct transfer of the subsidy amount, no ration card holder will visit ration shops.
The ration dealers are against the recommendation as they think it would deprive them of their only source of livelihood.
According to ration dealers of Telangana, the extension of DBT Scheme to ration card holders will stop them from coming to ration shops, as they will get the choice of exercising their discretion over purchase of essential commodities like rice, sugar, pulses and kerosene.