Treat CSD employees, FPS dealers as frontline warriors for vaccination: M Srinivas Reddy

The staff and FPS dealers have extended their services to eligible cardholders during the pandemic last year.

Hyderabad: Civil Supplies Corporation Limited Chairman M Srinivas Reddy on Wednesday requested Health Minister Eatala Rajender to take necessary steps to declare employees of Civil Supplies department and its corporation along with the fair price shop (FPS) dealers as frontline warriors for vaccine administration on priority.

In a memorandum submitted to the Minister, Reddy said the distribution of essential commodities through the Public Distribution System (PDS) was inevitable every month irrespective of prevailing Covid-19 pandemic situation. The staff and FPS dealers have extended their services to eligible cardholders during the pandemic last year.

Several FPS dealers died of Covid-19 and many of them are still under home isolation, he said.

Reddy said the Police, Revenue, Medical and Municipal departments’ employees were treated as frontline warriors and given Covid vaccine on priority while people working in Civil Supplies department and FPS dealers have not been categorised as frontline warriors.

During the pandemic last year, the department played a key role in disbursing special incentives like Rs 1,500 in cash and giving additional rice to poor families, he said, and requested the Minister to help the staff and FPS dealers in getting vaccine at the earliest.