All ration shops to go cashless by March end : Paswan
Source: The Sangai Express
New Delhi, December 24 2016:
The Government announced on Friday that it will equip ration shops across the country for cashless transactions by March-end.
At present, cashless payments can be made only in 38,000 outlets of the total 5.27 lakh ration shops.
"There is a plan to meet this target and it has been prepared in consultation with State Governments.
You can imagine how cashless movement will get a big boost when most of the 80 crore beneficiaries under the food security law start adopting cashless transactions," Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said.
He said the Government has enough stock of foodgrain to cater to the requirement under the food security scheme.
There is no proposal to import wheat, Paswan said, adding that the Government will procure any quantity of pulses from farmers at the minimum support price as fixed by the Government.
Paswan avoided responding to whether there is a genuine concern within the Government about the likelihood of less wheat production than what the Agriculture Ministry has projected.
However, Consumer Affairs Secretary Hem Pande said an inter-Ministerial committee had considered both the Agriculture Ministry's projection and estimates of private players while suggesting for doing away with import duty on wheat.