TN govt to review penalties for ration shop violations

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has called a consultation with ration shop employees on Monday to review the penalty structure for irregularities detected in fair price shops, signalling a move to strengthen monitoring of the State’s Public Distribution System (PDS).

According to an official communication issued by the Registrar of Cooperative Societies on July 24, a meeting will be held at 4 pm on Monday at the Registrar’s office in Kilpauk here. The Additional Registrar has been instructed to ensure participation, while the Tamil Nadu Government Ration Shop Employees’ Association has been asked to nominate two representatives.

The discussions will centre on revising the penalties imposed during inspections of fair price shops. The government will seek stakeholders’ views on modifying the fines levied for shortages in the stock of essential commodities, excess stock and other violations detected during inspections.

The circular, which referred to an earlier government communication dated May 11, said the consultation had been convened before taking a decision on revising the penalty rates.