AP Govt Is Set to Shut PDS System

The proposed  Chandranna Village Malls are set to play a disaster with the lives of small grocery shop owners  and poor in  the entire Andhra Pradesh.  

Nearly 600 village malls are coming up in AP soon. The corporate companies Reliance and Future Groups were permitted to open the retail outlets in the villages. Earlier, it was proposed to name after NTR to the outlets. AP Minister Prathipati Pulla Rao said it has been  renamed after Chandrababu Naidu.  

Though the outlets will be opened in villages to sell essential commodities 20 percent less than market prices, leaders said the mall culture will destroy rural economy as many small grocery store owners will be forced to shut their shops unable to face the tough competition from corporate bodies.  

Once the small vendors closed their shops, the village malls will fleece the consumers and exploit the retail market. The Mall culture already destroyed the livelihoods of many small traders  depend on  petty vending shops in urban areas. 

Government already stopped the supply of sugar, wheat and edible oil through fair price shops. Rice was the only commodity which is being supplied to white ration card holders.  Government is planning to wind up the Public Distribution System on the pretext of poor response to rice distribution.  It is planning to introduce Direct Benefit Scheme in the place of fair price shops. 

Leaders said government conspired to shut Public Distribution System and encourage village malls culture in the future in Andhra.