SHILLONG, Feb 11 � Prices of essential commodities, such as rice, sugar and wheat, have increased due to supply of poor quality food grains by the fair price shops.
Addressing a press conference here today, Michael N Syiem, leader of an NGO Mait Shaphrang Movement, said that people are buying most of the essential commodities from the open market leading to price rice.
�If the fair price shops supply good quality food grains to the people price will automatically drop as the people will buy food grains from the fair price shop,� Syiem said.
Although Food Corporation of India (FCI) supplies good quality food grains, fair price shops in the State are supplying spurious food grains after selling the food grains supplied by FCI in the open market, Syiem alleged.
The food grain sold at the fair price shops is not fit for consumption and so even the poor, he maintained, are buying their food grain from the open market at a high price.
The government should streamline the distribution system like that in West Bengal, Tripura and Mizoram by entrusting cooperative societies to distribute the essential commodities from the godown directly to the people.
Godowns in every district of the State should be constructed, in which more youths can also be employed, Syiem suggested.
He further said that infant mortality rate and maternal death is high in the State due to spurious supply of essential commodities.
