Four public enterprises -- National Trading Limited (NTL), Salt Trading Corporation (STC), Nepal Food Corporation (NFC) and Dairy Development Corporation (DDC) - are jointly operating fair price shops at Ram Shah Path, Teku, Koteshwar, Kalimati, Lagankhel, Bhaktapur and Surya Binayak.[break]
Along with the combined fair price shops, state-owned entities are opening individual fair price shops as well. STC is opening such shops at its head office in Kalimati and branch office in Koteshwar. Similarly, NTL has opened fair price shops at its head office in Teku and other branches of the corporation in different parts of the country, including the Kathmandu Valley.
The outlets will remain open for two months. The state-owned enterprises are selling food commodities such as sugar, salt, rice, ghee and lentils as well as home appliances, machineries, and electrical appliances, among others, at discounted rates.
STC is providing discounts of Rs 2 per kg on salt and Rs 5 per kg on sugar. It will sell salt at Rs 13 per kg and sugar at Rs 66 per kg. “We will announce discount on other products within few days,” Urmila Shrestha, general manager of STC, said.
Likewise, NFC is offering discount of Rs 2 per kg on rice. It plans to sell 20,000 quintals of rice in the Valley and 30,000 quintals outside the Valley.
“Not only at the fair price shops, customers can get discount in all our outlets scattered across the country,” Shivahari Shrestha, general manager of NFC, said. Shrestha further added that the state-owned food distributor aim to sell more than 4,000 goats during Dashain.
DDC, on the other hand, is providing discount of Rs 10 on a kilogram of ghee. “We will also provide discount on our products starting Thursday,” SP Singh, general manager of DDC, said.
Similarly, NTL is providing discounts of up to 40 percent on different machineries, electrical equipment and home appliances. The state-owned firm is offering 5 to 20 percent will be giving on machinery products and up to 40 percent discount on electronics items and spare parts.
Inaugurating the integrated fair price shop at Ram Shah Path on Tuesday, Chief Secretary Leela Mani Poudyal lauded the state-owned agencies´ initiatives in providing essential commodities to consumers at reasonable rates. He further added that such shops would help control anomalies in the market. Poudyal, however, urged state-owned enterprises not to discontinue supply of products at the fair price shops as it would leave negative impact in the market.
He also promised stringent action against persons and firms found involved in black-marketeering.
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