Expand network of NCCF: Food and Consumer Affairs Minister K V Thomas

NEW DELHI: Food and Consumer Affairs Minister K V Thomas today asked the National Cooperative Consumers' Federation ( NCCF) to expand its network to take benefit of the free economic environment in the country.

Presently, the NCCF has 34 branches/sub-branches across the country, besides other procuring centres. The NCCF was set up in 1965 and currently has 136 members.

Addressing the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the NCCF, Thomas said the federation should "plan new strategies and expand its network to take advantage of the free and open economic environment in the country," an official statement said.

Appreciating the efforts taken by the NCCF to provide relief to consumers from high inflation in food commodities, the minister said, "The federation has played a pioneer role in importing pulses and selling them to consumers at subsidised rates."

The NCCF has provided relief to consumers by intervening directly in the retail market by selling wheat, pulses and onions at lower rates to check the artificial price rise, the minister said.

The role of NCCF, as state agency, in the distribution of levy sugar in Delhi and Mumbai has reduced malpractices considerably, the minister said.

He expressed the hope that the NCCF will be entrusted with the distribution of other PDS items also by the states to improve the functioning of the Public Distribution System (PDS).