WSYF seeks action against FPS owner over malpractice in rice distribution
DIMAPUR, SEPTEMBER 27 (MExN): The Western Sumi Youth Front (WSYF) has strongly condemned what it described as “shocking malpractice” at a Fair Price Shop (FPS), where the owner was allegedly charging above the government-prescribed rates and deducting one kilogram of rice per beneficiary in the name of “carriage charges.”
The WSYF, in a statement, said such acts amounted to “daylight robbery committed against the poorest of the poor.” It said individuals entrusted with the responsibility of serving the underprivileged were instead exploiting them for personal profit, terming the shop owners “profiteers thriving at the cost of the hungry.”
The organisation demanded that the Department of Food and Civil Supplies immediately launch statewide checks of all FPS outlets, identify those indulging in such practices, and take the harshest possible action, including outright cancellation of licences. “No mercy should be shown to those who cheat the poor and erode public trust in the system,” it said, adding that prompt intervention was necessary to protect the interests of the needy and uphold the credibility of the public distribution system.
The WSYF also called upon the general public to remain vigilant and to report any fraudulent practices at Fair Price Shops to the concerned authorities. It asserted that only through collective action could such exploitation be rooted out.
Reiterating its stand, the WSYF said it “will not remain silent in the face of such injustice,” stressing that the rights of the poor were non-negotiable and any attempt to rob them would be met with strong resistance and exposure.
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