Staff Reporter
Panaji
The Directorate of Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs has completed 80% of the re-painting work on Fair Price Shops (FPS) across the state. The initiative aims to enhance the visibility of these essential outlets.
The FPS outlets have been given a new and distinctive saffron and green colour. A senior official from the Civil Supplies Department said the work is expected to be completed soon, giving a much-needed facelift to 450 FPS outlets.
Many outlets were previously in a dilapidated condition and difficult to recognise, especially for newcomers and migrant residents who often struggled to locate them. This sometimes led to confusion and difficulties for beneficiaries trying to access subsidised goods. To resolve this issue, the state government decided to follow the Centre’s directive to repaint all FPS outlets with a uniform saffron colour scheme.
“The primary objective of this redesign is to ensure that all FPS outlets stand out, even in crowded market areas,” the official said. “The government chose saffron for the exterior because it is highly visible and easily recognised.”
The Directorate of Civil Supplies has collaborated with the PWD to standardise the redesign. Each shop will also have information boards detailing the available commodities, stock levels, and prices.
In July, the Union Ministry for Food and Civil Supplies issued directives to all states, including Goa, to improve the functioning of FPS outlets. These included the installation of CCTV cameras, adopting a common colour code, and integrating weighing scales with electronic Point of Sale (ePoS) devices to better track transactions.
