Anisur Rahman Khan :
In order to mitigate the sufferings of the old and the new poor, authorities are planning to expedite the Open Market Sale and Food Friendly Programme for selling rice at Tk 10 per kg from March.
Amid the increasing demands of commodities ahead of the upcoming Ramzan likely to start from April 2, the Food Ministry is going to increase the number of mobile trucks for selling Open Market Sale (OMS) products as well as rice and atta (coarse flour) at a reasonable price fixed by the government.
From March 17 (Thursday), the number of OMS mobile truck will be increased to 111 in the city corporation areas and across the country from existing 54 trucks. In this process, the city corporations of Sylhet, Rangpur, Cumilla and Mymensingh would be included in the programme for the first time, the officials of the Food Ministry on Tuesday confirmed The New Nation.
At present, there are a total 120 OMS points in Dhaka. The OMS mobile trucks will work additionally to ensure that the people are getting rice and atta at reasonable prices.
According to the officials, the quantity of rice at every truck would also be increased, but atta will remain same as it was selling earlier through the OMS mobile trucks.
While talking to The New Nation at his Secretariat office on Tuesday, Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder said, “The initiative of increasing the number of trucks and the quantity of commodities was taken following Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s instruction as huge number of people are facing trouble to get rice and coarse flour waiting for a long time in the queues. The initiative will reduce the sufferings.”
“The government is sincere to address sufferings of the people, in order that they can get adequate food supply till the harvest of Boro paddy from local production. Beginning from March 17, the rice and coarse flour will be sold across the country at reasonable prices. If necessary the number will be hiked further,” the minister added.
Sadhan Majumder also informed that the government has already launched its Food Friendly Programme (FFP) for selling rice at Tk 10 per kg from this month (March). It will continue in April this year, he added.
Under the FFP, country’s 50 lakh people get 30kg of rice for five months a year particularly in lean period. The period will span in between March and April in first phase and September to November in second phase.
Sadhan Chandra Majumder said that an official of the ministry or the Directorate General of Food (DG Food) will work with every truck while a deputy secretary level officer will monitor their activities. A cluster of five truck-mounted shops will be monitored by a Deputy Secretary-level virtually from their office. They will keep watch on the trucks joining through videoconferencing, so that no one can engage with irregularities or collusion to sell the rice and flour.
He also informed that all Metropolitan Police Commissioners have been given letters requesting to provide necessary police protection, so that the OMS programme can be conducted smoothly. They will work to protect the OMS relevant persons and truck from any kind of untoward situation.
According to the Food Ministry data, the government has been selling OMS products as 54 points through its truck sale programme. Of the OMS truck sale programme, 30 points are in Dhaka, four each at Chattogram, Rajshahi, Khulna, Barishal, Gazipur and Narayanganj. Each of the truck now contains 3.5 metric tonnes of rice and 500kg of Atta.
According to the ministry decision, the number of OMS truck sale programme would be increased to 50 points in Dhaka, 11 at Chattogram, 10 at Khulna, and eight points each at Rajshahi, Gazipur and Narayanganj and seven points at Barishal. Each of the truck will contain 4 tons of rice and 500kg of Atta.
The rice and Atta will be sold at Tk 30 and Tk 18 per kg respectively.
The city corporations of Rangpur, Sylhet, Mymensingh and Cumilla will be brought under the OMS sale programme. Of the cities, the OMS truck sale programme will be conducted at five points at Rangpur while four points each at Sylhet, Mymensingh and Cumilla. Each of the trucks will contain similar quantity of rice and Atta like other cities.
