Govt to operate fair price shops from September 9

Kathmandu / Sept 6: Department of Commerce, Supply and Consumer Protection is preparing to operate fair price shops from September 9 targeting the major Nepali festivals, namely Dashain, Tihar and Chhath.

Speaking at a meeting of Parliamentary Committee on Industry and Commerce; Labour and Consumer Welfare, Director General of the department Yogendra Gauchan informed that Salt Trading Corporation, Food Management and Trade Company Limited, and Dairy Development Corporation decided to run integrated fair shops. The government has already allocated the required budget for this purpose. 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.

General Director Gauchan 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.

Addressing the meeting, the committee members criticized the government for poor market monitoring. Citing her example of being cheated while purchasing Sari during Teej, a committee member Sujata Pariyar argued that government was unable to make the market monitoring effective.

“I wonder why the government can’t penalize those traders who charge almost double the price of the commodities,” said another member Dil Kumari.