Fair price shops in Himachal to sell Patanjali products

› The objective of the government to allow fair price shops to sell other products besides subsidised ration is to sustain the business of ration depots.

ONKAR SHARMA, principal secretary, food and civil supplies

SHIMLA: The Himachal Pradesh government has decided to put on sale the products of yoga guru Ramdev’s Patanjali at fair price shops across the state.

The move allowing Patanjali to sell its products at government’s food and civil supplies run- ration shops came two weeks after chief minister Jai Ram Thakurled BJP government took over reins in the hill state. The previous Virbhadra Singh government had cancelled the lease for 28 acres of land to Patanjali Yogpeeth in Solan district’s Sadhupul for setting up a branch of ayurveda related research, yoga and health tourism related activities.

The Yogpeeth challenged the government move in the court . Virbhadra Singh government ahead of the elections restored back the lease, after Patanjali Yogpeeth trust withdrew its writ in the court.

“The objective of the government to allow fair price shops to sell other products beside subsidised ration is to sustain the business of ration depots,” principal secretary, food and civil supplies Onkar Sharma said.

In Himachal, the entire population is covered under public distribution scheme where three pulses, edible cooking oil, sugar, salt , rice and wheat is given to ration card holders on subsidized rates .

The ration under the PDS scheme is distributed to a total 1,741,789 ration card holders on monthly basis in nearly 4,904 fair price shops in the state including those in Lahaul and Spiti and Kinnaur districts.

There are around 33 lakh people covered under the scheme, including around 27 lakh below poverty line, Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) beneficiaries and the total supply of grain from Centre, including rice and wheat, is 15,496 metric tonnes (MT).