Agartala: Mar 26: To address the issue of black marketing, Tripura’s Food Minister, Sushanta Chowdhury, has announced the recruitment of new food inspectors. Out of the 57 sanctioned positions for food inspectors, 29 have already been filled, and recruitment for 15 additional positions is underway through the Tripura Public Service Commission (TPSC).
During the fourth day of the Tripura Assembly’s budget session, discussions were centered around the rising prices of essential commodities. Congress legislator Gopal Chandra Roy criticized the government’s monitoring system, noting that prices were soaring across the state. He warned that unless the Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs Department took action, hoarders and wholesale traders would exploit the situation. Roy stressed the need to increase the number of food inspectors and urged for daily inspections to ensure transparency. He also called for the immediate filling of vacant positions.
Tipra Motha legislator Ranjit Debbarma raised concerns about the reservation policy in the recruitment process. He asked whether the reservation for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates had been maintained in the hiring of the new food inspectors.
In his response, Minister Chowdhury confirmed that the recruitment process strictly follows the reservation policy. He explained that 31% of positions are reserved for ST candidates, 17% for SC candidates, and the rest are for the Unreserved (UR) category. Additionally, 33% of the positions are reserved for female candidates. Chowdhury acknowledged the role of black marketing in driving up prices and mentioned that the Finance Department’s approval was needed to create and fill positions. He assured that appointment letters for the 15 new inspectors would be issued within the next 15-20 days, highlighting the department’s ongoing efforts to combat black marketing.
