Tripura’s Public Distribution System in Crisis: Many Ration Shops Running Empty, Dealers Unpaid for Months

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, May 26, 2026

Serious allegations of large-scale mismanagement, corruption, and administrative collapse have emerged against Tripura’s Food and Civil Supplies Department as the state’s Public Distribution System (PDS) faces an unprecedented crisis. Reports from several districts indicate that ration shops are running without essential commodities such as rice, wheat flour, and sugar, while ration dealers have allegedly not received commissions for the past three months.

The situation has triggered widespread anger among beneficiaries and ration shop owners across the state. Consumers dependent on subsidized food grains under the National Food Security Act are reportedly being forced to buy essentials from open markets at much higher prices.

Adding to public inconvenience, the “One Nation One Ration Card” (ONORC) facility has reportedly been halted in Tripura. Beneficiaries are now allegedly being denied ration from shops outside the address mentioned in their ration cards. The move has particularly affected migrant workers, students, employees, and economically weaker families who depend on portability benefits.

Residents claim that earlier they could collect ration supplies from nearby or convenient ration shops under the portability scheme, but that option has now been effectively stopped in many areas.

According to reports from multiple subdivisions and rural areas, ration shops have not received regular supplies of rice, sugar and wheat flour for months. Several dealers stated that rice supplied through the system is often of poor quality and sometimes unfit for consumption.

Local residents alleged that many families are receiving incomplete ration allocations due to irregular supply from government godowns. In some places, beneficiaries reportedly returned rice because of inferior quality.

Ration shop dealers have accused the Food Department of withholding their commissions for nearly three months. Dealers stated that they are forced to bear transportation and operational expenses from their own pockets while distributing government ration at subsidized rates.

Many small dealers claim that they are now struggling financially and some are on the verge of shutting down operations due to mounting losses. They alleged that despite repeated appeals, no clear response has come from the department.

Serious allegations have also surfaced regarding an alleged secret commission network operating within the Food Department. Several complaints reportedly point toward irregularities in stock records and discrepancies found during internal audits in multiple food godowns.

Ration dealers have demanded a high-level independent inquiry into the functioning of Tripura’s Food Department.

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