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

Tejashwi Yadav, the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Legislative Assembly, addressed a two‑page letter to Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary highlighting the mounting problems faced by Public Distribution System (PDS) dealers across the state. The correspondence, dated September 9, 2026, called for a swift, time‑bound response to the dealers' demands and urged the government to engage in regular tripartite meetings with departmental officials and dealer representatives.

Yadav’s letter specified several quantitative demands: a fixed monthly honorarium of at least ₹30,000 for each dealer, modeled after Gujarat’s scheme; removal of time limits for compassionate appointments of eligible dependents, following Jharkhand’s practice; and the immediate clearance of commission arrears that have accumulated for six months to a year. He also referenced a pre‑election announcement of a ₹47 increase in dealer commissions that remains unpaid, and pressed for strict action against alleged corruption, under‑weighing, and technical glitches at Bihar State Food Corporation warehouses.

The appeal comes amid record‑breaking inflation and persistent administrative bottlenecks that have strained the livelihoods of thousands of PDS vendors who supply essential foodgrains to vulnerable families. The Fair Price Dealers Association expressed gratitude to Yadav for spotlighting their issues, while a separate RJD delegation met an Election Commission official to seek extensions to voter registration deadlines and the removal of bogus entries from the electoral roll, underscoring broader governance concerns in the state.