Wednesday, September 4, 2019

Government to open fair price shops from September 9

The government is opening fair price outlet in Kathmandu on Monday.
Department of Commerce, Supply and Consumer Protection is going to operate fair price shops – like always – from September 9 targeting Dashain, Tihar and Chhath, the key festivals, said director general of the department Yogendra Gauchan speaking at Parliamentary Committee on Industry and Commerce, Labour and Consumer Welfare meeting.
He also informed that Salt Trading Corporation (STC), Food Management and Trade Company Ltd (FMTCL) – the merged entity of two state-owned entities National Trading Limited (NTL) and Nepal Food Corporation (NFC) in August – and Dairy Development Corporation (DDC) decided to run integrated fair shops. The government has already allocated the required budget to open the fair price shops, he informed, adding that the department will provide a discount of Rs 10 in a kg of mutton, Rs 5 in a kg of sugar and Rs 2 in a kg of salt through those shops.
Addressing the meeting, the committee members criticised the government for poor market monitoring.
Gauchan, on the occasion, also said that the department will monitor the market to check black-market. “For this purpose, eight different teams will be deployed in Kathmandu from next week though the department currently has 15 staffers for monitoring purpose.”
According to the spokesperson of FMTCL Sharmila Neupane Subedi, the first integrated fair price shop will open at Ram Shah Path from Monday. “Similar shops will be opened across the country after few days," she said, adding that the private firms can also distribute their products at discounted rates at such shops that will be opened at 23 locations across the country. 

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