Aamar Dukan on Wheels

What is Aamar Dukan on Wheels?

Aamar Dukan on Wheels is a Government of Assam scheme run by the Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs Department through the Directorate of Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs. The scheme gives a Rs 50,000 grant to an educated unemployed young person to operate a mobile retail shop mounted on an eco-friendly e-rickshaw, which sells essential non-PDS commodities at the consumer's doorstep at rates below the maximum retail price.

Aamar Dukan on Wheels is the mobile extension of the older Aamar Dukan scheme. Aamar Dukan was introduced in the financial year 2014-15 to sell 22 non-PDS items through Fair Price Shops to Family Identity Card holders and to the general public, and the Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs Department records that 5,668 shops have been covered under it, of which 5,623 are functioning, now handling 23 essential MRP-based items. Aamar Dukan on Wheels takes the same basket of goods off the shop counter and puts it on a cart that moves through localities.

The directorate states the objective plainly: to control the price of essential commodities by avoiding the middleman. A second objective is employment. The Directorate of Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs describes a target of appointing about 1,000 mobile vendors, chosen from educated unemployed youth, and a budget allocation of Rs 100 crore was announced for financing beneficiaries.

The carts are not simple handcarts. The project note describes GPS-enabled smartphones and Bluetooth billing printers on each cart, so that sales are recorded and cashless transactions are possible.

Who is eligible for Aamar Dukan on Wheels?

You can apply if:

• You are a permanent resident of Assam.
• You are 18 years of age or above.
• You are registered with the Employment Exchange.
• You have passed HSLC or an equivalent examination, this is the minimum educational qualification prescribed.
• You are an educated unemployed person, which is the target group the directorate names for the scheme.

Selection among eligible applicants is not first-come-first-served. The directorate's scheme note says preference is given on the basis of educational background, prior experience and financial condition of the applicant, so a candidate with retail or trading experience and weaker financial means is favoured over one without.

You cannot apply, or are not eligible, if:

• You are not a permanent resident of Assam.
• You are below 18 years of age.
• You have not registered with the Employment Exchange, since registration is an explicit condition, not an optional document.
• You have not passed HSLC or an equivalent examination.
• You are in regular employment. The scheme is aimed at unemployed youth, and a person already holding a job does not meet the core target-group test.

Note also that Aamar Dukan on Wheels is a vendor-appointment scheme. It is not a consumer benefit, an ordinary household does not "apply" for Aamar Dukan on Wheels, it simply buys from the cart when it comes to the locality.

What does a beneficiary have to do after selection?

The obligations on a selected vendor are set out by the directorate and they are strict, because the scheme is a price-control instrument:

• Keep the allocated commodities in stock. A vendor cannot drop the slow-moving items and sell only the profitable ones.
• Restrict the profit margin to Rs 2.00 to Rs 3.00 per kilogram or per litre. This is the single most important condition and it is what keeps prices below MRP.
• Display a price board so that every customer can see the rate.
• Maintain stock records available for inspection.
• Operate on the schedule and in the area specified by the authority, the cart is assigned a beat, not left to roam.
• Source commodities from government-approved wholesalers only. Buying from the open market defeats the purpose of removing the middleman.

District officials supervise this. The directorate's note describes weekly meetings at district level to review vendors, along with selection of wholesalers and fixing of commodity prices.

What is sold under Aamar Dukan on Wheels?

The basket is the 23 essential non-PDS commodities of the Aamar Dukan scheme. These are everyday kitchen items rather than subsidised PDS grain, and they include rice varieties, pulses, edible oils, salt, packaged goods such as tea, flour and spices, and fresh produce such as potatoes and onions. The directorate's project note records that the list of 22 items can be expanded to 36. Because these are non-PDS items, anyone can buy them, a customer does not need a ration card or Family Identity Card to purchase from the cart.

What documents are required?

How to apply for Aamar Dukan on Wheels

1. Check whether your district is currently selecting vendors. Aamar Dukan on Wheels has been rolled out in stages, so contact the office of the Deputy Commissioner or the District Food and Civil Supplies office first.
2. Register with the Employment Exchange if you have not already done so. This is a hard eligibility condition and cannot be added later.
3. Collect the application form from the district administration or the District Food and Civil Supplies office, or as directed in the district notice.
4. Fill the form and attach the documents — permanent residence certificate, age proof, HSLC certificate, Employment Exchange registration card, bank passbook copy, photograph and identity proof.
5. Submit the application to the district authority handling the scheme, and keep the acknowledgement.
6. Attend the selection process. The district authority assesses applicants on educational background, prior experience and financial condition, and draws up the list of selected vendors.
7. Execute the agreement. The directorate's project note records that agreements between the beneficiary and the district administration are part of the process, after which the Rs 50,000 grant and the e-cart arrangement follow.

How to check your application status

Aamar Dukan on Wheels has no online status tracker. The district authority that received your application is the place to follow up, and because selection lists are drawn district-wise, the office of the Deputy Commissioner or the District Food and Civil Supplies office will know where a file stands. The Directorate of Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs, Assam, is the state-level authority above them.

Common reasons applications are turned down

• No Employment Exchange registration. Applicants often treat this as optional; the directorate lists it as a criterion.
• Below HSLC qualification. The minimum is HSLC or equivalent.
• Not a permanent resident of Assam, or unable to produce the residence certificate.
• Already employed. The scheme targets educated unemployed youth.
• District quota already filled. Selection is against a district-wise number of vendors, so a complete and eligible application can still be deferred to the next round.

Key dates and current status

Aamar Dukan on Wheels was piloted in Guwahati on 22 February 2017 with 7 e-carts operated through Navodaya Assam, and the directorate recorded daily sales of about Rs 5,000 per cart in that pilot. The directorate's own project note states that guidelines were prepared and draft agreements between beneficiaries and the district administration were ready, with formal execution of those agreements pending. Readers should therefore confirm with their district office that selection is currently open rather than assume a live statewide window.

Help and grievance route

• Directorate of Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs, Assam, directorfcs.assam.gov.in
• Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs Department, Government of Assam, fcsca.assam.gov.in
• District level, the office of the Deputy Commissioner and the District Food and Civil Supplies office, which hold the weekly review meetings for the scheme.

There is no application fee announced for Aamar Dukan on Wheels. A consumer who finds a cart selling above the fixed price, refusing to display the price board, or selling goods not sourced from an approved wholesaler should report it to the district food and civil supplies office, since price discipline is the condition on which the vendor holds the appointment.