**Executive Summary**
This document is the response to an unstarred question in Lok Sabha regarding Fair Price Shops (FPS) in Punjab, scheduled for December 17th, 2025. It addresses the number of operational FPSs, dealer margins, proposals for revision, and instances of leakages. The Minister of State for Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution provided the answers.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Operational FPSs:** There are 19,814 FPSs currently operating in Punjab.
* **Dealer Margins:**
* The Central Government does not determine the actual rates for FPS dealer margins.
* Assistance is provided to States/UTs for intra-State movement & handling of foodgrains, and for FPS dealer margins under NFSA.
* Norms for FPS dealer margins were enhanced w.e.f. April 1st, 2022:
* General States/UTs: FPS Dealers Margin revised from ₹70 to ₹90 per quintal, Additional margin revised from ₹17 to ₹21 per quintal
* Special Category States/UTS: FPS Dealers Margin revised from ₹143 to ₹180 per quintal, Additional margin revised from ₹17 to ₹26 per quintal
* State Governments are free to fix the actual rates, but central assistance is limited to the rates specified in the Rules or the actual average rates, whichever is lower.
* **Proposals for Revision:** No proposal to revise the margin has been received from the State Government of Punjab.
* **Leakages:** No instances of leakages from FPSs causing hurdles in the implementation of the scheme have been reported.
* **Automation:** All 19,814 FPSs in Punjab have been automated with ePoS devices for transparent distribution through biometric/Aadhaar authentication.
* **Electronic Weighing Scales:** All States/UTs, including Punjab, have been requested to integrate electronic weighing scales with ePoS devices.
**Impact Analysis**
**Stakeholder: Fair Price Shop Dealers in Punjab**
* **Impact**: The document provides information on the enhanced norms of FPS Dealers Margin with effect from 1st April 2022.
* **Action Required**: No direct action is required, but they are affected by the enhanced dealer margin norms and the implementation of ePoS systems.
**Stakeholder: Punjab Government**
* **Impact**: The document acknowledges that no proposal from the Punjab government to revise margins has been received. It also mentions the integration of electronic weighing scales with ePoS devices.
* **Action Required**: No direct action is required, but they are informed about the importance of integrating electronic weighing scales with ePoS devices.
**Stakeholder: Beneficiaries of the Fair Price Shops in Punjab**
* **Impact**: The document mentions the distribution of foodgrains in a transparent manner through biometric/Aadhaar authentication of beneficiaries.
* **Action Required**: No direct action is required, but they benefit from the automation of FPSs.
Key Entities Referenced
Fair Price Shops (FPS): Government-run shops that distribute essential commodities at subsidized rates to eligible households, a key component of India's public distribution system.
Punjab: Indian state where the Fair Price Shops are operating.
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution: The central ministry responsible for regulating and managing the public distribution system and food security in India.
Food Security (Assistance to State Governments) Rules, 2015: Rules that provide norms of expenditure and pattern of central sharing for assistance to State governments for food security.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2789
TO BE ANSWERED ON 17TH DECEMBER, 2025
FAIR PRICE SHOPS IN PUNJAB
2789. SMT. HARSIMRAT KAUR BADAL:
Will the Minister of CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC
DISTRIBUTION be pleased to state:
(a) : the details of the number of Fair Price Shops (FPS) currently operating in Punjab;
(b) : the details of the average monthly commission or margin paid to FPS dealers;
(c): whether any proposal from the Punjab Government or- Dealer Associations to
revise margins has been received to the Union Government and if so, the details thereof;
(d): whether it is a fact that there have been instances of leakages from Fair Price
Shops which caused hurdles in the implementation of the scheme; and
(e): if so, the details thereof including the corrective measures taken by the Union
Government in this regard?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE FOR MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS,
FOOD & PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
(SHRIMATI NIMUBEN JAYANTIBHAI BAMBHANIYA)
(a): At present, a total of 19,814 Fair Price Shops (FPSs) are currently operational in
Punjab.
(b) & (c): Central Government has no role to play in determining the actual rate of fair
price shop dealers’ margin/ commission/ honorarium etc. The Central Government only
provides the assistance to States/UTs for meeting the expenditure towards intra-State
movement & handling of foodgrains and fair price shop dealers’ margin under the NFSA in
accordance with the provisions of Food Security (Assistance to State Governments) Rules,
2015 which inter-alia provides for norms of expenditure and pattern of central sharing. In
order to ensure viability of Fair Price Shops, the norms of FPS Dealers margin was
enhanced w.e.f. 1 April 2022 as per the details given below:of
Category of States Component FPSJPre-revised normsIRevised norms
margIn (R,t, i„ ,„p„ p„(R,t, i„ ,„p„ p,
quintal) quintal)
General c B7 n9
States/UTs ( 17 [ii
Special c 143 180
Sates/UTS ,dditional margin 17 32
State Governments are free to fix the actual rates, which can be higher than the
norms specified in the rules. Central assistance will be limited to the rates specified in the
Rules or the actual average rates for the State as a whole, at which the expenditure was
actually incurred by the State Government, whichever is lower.
No proposal to revise margin has been received from the State Govt. of Punjab.
(d) & (e): No such instance of leakages from Fair Price Shops causing hurdles in the
implementation of the scheme has been reported. Further, all 19,814 (100%) Fair Price
Shops (FPSs) in the Punjab have been automated by installing ePoS devices for the
distribution of foodgrains in a transparent manner (electronically) through biometric/
Aadhaar authentication of beneficiaries. To ensure that entitled quantity of foodgrains is
distributed to the eligible beneficiaries and to maintain transparency, all the States/UTs
(including Punjab) have been requested to integrate electronic weighing scales with the
electronic point of sales (ePoS) devices.
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