The Gujarat government on Sunday announced an insurance cover of Rs 25 lakh each to employees of over 17,000 fair price shops in the state.
Last week, THE WEEK had reported that fear and panic had gripped employees of the over 17,000 fair price shops in the state after a 27-year-old boy, who worked in a fair price shop, succumbed to COVID-19 in Nagarwada, a hotspot, in Vadodara.
Prahlad Modi, brother of PM Narendra Modi and president of All India Fair Price Shop Dealers Federation, had told THE WEEK that they would be forced to observe a day's bandh if their demands are not met with. He had demanded a cover of Rs 20 lakh for the employees and owners, like the one announced for gas cylinder delivery men.
Fair price shop owners have also been covered under the Gujarat government's announcement.
Ashwini Kumar, secretary to Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, said that in case of the death due to COVID-19 of any person managing and operating the fair price shop, Rs 25 lakh will be given to the family.
Welcoming the announcement by the state government, Prahlad Modi said that the date from which the cover will be effective, has not been specified. He demanded that the state government should implement the cover from the date when it started giving free ration so that the deceased boy's family is also covered.
He had also demanded that the fair price shops and the homes of fair price shop owners be sanitised, at least twice or thrice in a day.
In Gujarat, the fair price shops are seeing heavy rush as the state government has announced free ration for April.
As regards the demand of cover at the national level, Prahlad Modi said that the fair price shop owners are speaking to respective governments.
