CITIZEN'S CHARTER

Preamble

The Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) functioning through a net work of fair price shops/ration shops, aims, primarily at supplementing supplies of foodgrains to the consumers particularly the vulnerable sections of the society, at reasonable prices and recognized food security as a basic right. The Targeted Public Distribution System further accepts a special responsibility for ensuring subsidized foodgrains to the Below Poverty Line (BPL) families. The Government of Himachal Pradesh therefore, attaches the greatest importance to this programme and accordingly the Department of Food and Supplies, Himachal Pradesh will take all possible steps to implement the Targeted Public Distribution System and its constituent TPDS to the best advantage of the beneficiaries.

Components of the targeted public distribution system:

Fair price shops
A Fair Price Shop (FPS) is generally to be opened for a population of 1,500 or above, and in tribal, remote and inaccessible/ sub-cadre areas as defined by the Govt. of Himachal Pradesh, these norms can be relaxed up to a population of 1,000 or 150 ration cards, whichever is less, but the population of existing FPS should not come down below the prescribed limit. The norms should also be such that no consumer shall generally have to travel a distance of more than 3 kilometres to the nearest FPS. The distance will be certified by the Public Distribution Committee (PDC), headed by the Deputy Commissioner of the district concerned. The PDC shall forward only such cases to the Director, Food Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs, H.P., Shimla for relaxation from the Government of H.P. that have population coverage of less than 1,500 or 1,000 as the case may be. More than one fair price shop may be opened in any place without distance clause if the existing as well as proposed FPS shall both have population coverage of 1,500 or above, or 1,000 and above, as the case may be.

a) Targeted Public Distribution System:

Consumer Issue Price and Scale of Commodities under TPDS in H.P.   ( As on March, 2022 )

Monitoring machinery and grievance redressal

1. The consumers attached to the fair price shop will be entitled to inspect the following registers:- -Stock register showing allocation to the shop from time to time. -Sales Register, showing quantities sold to the ration card holders. -The ration card register showing the details of the ration cards registered at the fair price shop. -The names, designation , telephone number and address of the official to whom discrepancies/irregularities if any in the above records may be brought to the notice will be prominently displayed in all fair price shops.
2. An effective and efficient inspection mechanism will be set up by the Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department to check not only according to the prescribed schedule but also through surprise visits, the quality and quantity of the essential commodities supplied through the fair price shop, as also its smooth functioning in terms of the opening and closing times of the fair price shop, display of requisite information and samples besides the
3. General behavior of the fair price shop owner and its worker with the beneficiaries. The fair price shop will display prominently the procedure for lodging complaints alongwith the names, telephone numbers and addresses of the official concerned regarding the quality and quantity of ration, their availability as also other problems if any faced by the beneficiaries.
4. Wide publicity will be given to the allocations of various commodities to the District, Taluks and fair price shop and the Municipal and Panchayat authorities concerned will be kept informed of the allocations made and quantities actually distributed every month.
5. Appropriate training and orientation programme would be organized to motivate the staff engaged in implementation of TPDS and to ensure their observing these Charter Principles, suitable incentives will be considered for rewarding good work while ensuring that lapses, if any, are dealt with firmly.

Appropriate Vigilance Committees will be constituted at various levels to review all aspects of the functioning of the scheme periodically as follows:-
-Fair Price Shop level or Zonal/Area Committee/Sub- Divisional Level Committee should be formed by adding beneficiaries consumers from APL ,BPL, Antyodaya Anna Yojna & Annapurna beneficiaries. Similarly District level committee should also be formed and the beneficiaries members as well as voluntary organizations member should be included in the committees.
-This will comprise of five or six selected card holders attached to the fair price shops (who will be replaced every 6 months) , social workers of the area, particularly those representing Women’s Organizations and one or two officials of appropriate level of the Zonal/Area level officers concerned with the TPDS and will function under a well known personality of the area or a representative to be nominated by any well established consumer organization of the area, (to be rotated once a year). The Area Committee will cover 10 to 20 fair price shop of the area and report to the District Food & Supplies Controller about the functioning of the fair price shop and related problems.
-DISTRICT LEVEL COMMITTEE: This will comprise of about 10 members drawn from amongst the beneficiary groups Social/ Consumer Organizations, peoples’ elected representatives, be presided over by the District Collector. -STATE/ UT LEVEL COMMITTEE:
This will consist of concerned senior level officials of the Govt. members of Parliament/ Member of Legislative Assemblies, Representatives of well established Consumers Organizations/ well known consumer activists, Youth and Women's’ Organizations and one or two journalists of reputes. The Committee will function under the Chairmanship of (the Chief Minister or) the Minister-in- Charge of Food and Civil Supplies and review quarterly various aspects relating to overall functioning and efficacy of the Scheme.
6. All the above Committees will review the position relating to grievance/ complaint redressal in their respective areas and look into any pending cases and also suggest implementation of various remedial measures for solving recurring problems and procedural and other shortcomings.
Note: This may vary from state to state who may set up suitably structured mechanism for such Vigilance Committees at different levels.