New Delhi, Feb 16 (IANS): The Delhi government on Saturday approved a three-fold hike in the margin money from Rs 70 to Rs 200 per quintal to ration dealers in the national capital, said Food and Civil Supplies Minister Imran Hussain.
"The ration dealers will now get Rs 2 per kg in place of existing 70 paise per kg," the Government said in a statement.
The announcement by the Minister came following the Cabinet, headed by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, approved the food and civil supplies department's proposal for trebling the margin money.
The ration dealers will get the benefit of the enhanced margin money from the month of March, the statement said.
It includes rice and wheat distributed by ration dealers under the National Food Security Act, 2013, apart from sugar.
The Delhi Ration Dealers Association had been demanding for a long time that margin money for manual distribution of food grains may be increased in order to enable them run fair price shops (FPSs) in a sustainable and viable manner.
"The decision to increase margin money has been taken by the government keeping in mind various factors, including daily wages of fair price shop holders, storage cost, shortage incurred during retail distribution, electricity charges and reasonable commission/profit," Hussain said.
Due consideration has also been given by the government towards the cost of owning/hiring a space for FPS in various parts of Delhi and the payment of wages by the FPS owners as applicable to skilled workers, he said.
The Minister also expressed confidence that the decision to increase margin money will bring relief and succour to the ration dealers.
"They will work with renewed vigour and enthusiasm in distributing due ration to the poor beneficiaries," he said.
"The decision to increase margin money will also help in curbing the unlawful activities by certain vested interests such as black marketing, diversion of ration, siphoning off ration, depriving ration to the beneficiaries, disbursing lesser than entitled ration, among others," he added.