Tejashwi writes to Bihar CM Samrat Choudhary over PDS dealers’ demands

Bihar LoP Tejashwi Yadav. Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Legislative Assembly Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday (September 9, 2026) wrote a letter to Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary over the demands and “problems” faced by Public Distribution System (PDS) dealers in the State.Mr. Yadav said PDS dealers play a vital role in the State’s public distribution network, ensuring delivery of foodgrains to millions of poor and needy families, even under challenging circumstances. He claimed that despite this, it is deeply unfortunate that their economic and administrative grievances have remained unaddressed for a long time.Mr. Yadav alleged that dealers are facing a severe financial crisis due to “record-breaking inflation”, mounting administrative hurdles, delays in commission payments, and technical issues.He demanded that PDS dealers be provided with a fixed monthly honorarium of at least ₹30,000, following the model adopted in Gujarat. He also sought provisions for the appointment of eligible dependents on compassionate grounds, with the time limit for such appointments removed, similar to the practice in Jharkhand.Mr. Yadav wrote, “Commission payments pending for periods ranging from six months to a year must be cleared immediately as the delay in these payments has plunged thousands of PDS vendors and their families into a severe financial crisis.”The RJD’s national working president added that an increase of ₹47 in the commission for PDS dealers had been announced before the Assembly elections. Despite a year having passed, if this increased amount has not yet been paid, it should be implemented with immediate effect and the arrears cleared, he said.Strict action sought“Strict action must be taken regarding complaints of alleged corruption, irregularities, and under-weighing at Bihar State Food Corporation (BSFC) warehouses, and the entire system should be made transparent. Real-time solutions must be ensured for issues related to weighing, under-weighing, e-PoS machines, servers, and other technical glitches, so that neither PDS vendors nor beneficiaries have to bear the brunt of technical failures,” Mr. Yadav wrote.He also demanded an effective grievance redressal mechanism at the district and block levels to address genuine problems faced by dealers, while curbing alleged unnecessary administrative pressure and punitive action associated with the PDS system.Mr. Yadav urged the government to organise regular tripartite meetings involving departmental officials and representatives of the Fair Price Dealers Association to find permanent solutions to the issues faced by PDS dealers.“It is requested that an immediate, positive, and time-bound decision be taken regarding the demands of the PDS vendors. I am confident that the Government of Bihar will consider the legitimate demands of the PDS vendors with sensitivity and seriousness, and take concrete steps towards a speedy resolution,” Mr. Yadav said in the two-page letter.Meanwhile, an RJD delegation met an Election Commission official to demand an extension of the voter registration deadline for the Tirhut Graduate Constituency, the removal of names of “bogus voters” from the electoral roll, and the unlocking of the Election Commission’s registration portal.In the absence of the Chief Electoral Officer, the delegation submitted a memorandum to Additional Chief Electoral Officer Ashok Priyadarshi. The delegation included the party’s national general secretary Bhola Yadav, along with Chittaranjan Gagan, Madan Sharma, and Faiyaz Alam Kamal. Published - September 09, 2026 06:52 pm IST