The Tamil Nadu government has announced a salary revision for employees working in cooperative ration shops across the state. The decision was issued by the Department of Cooperation, Food and Consumer Protection as part of measures to improve the welfare of Public Distribution System (PDS) staff.
According to the announcement, newly appointed ration shop salespersons will receive a consolidated salary of ₹7,500 for the first year, while packers will be paid ₹6,600 during the same period. After completing one year of service, employees will be moved to a regular pay scale. Salespersons will receive salaries ranging from ₹9,900 to ₹39,600, while packers will get pay between ₹9,000 and ₹35,000 under the revised structure.
The government has also allowed employees to receive dearness allowance at 55% of the basic pay, similar to government staff, along with a continued annual salary increment of 3%. Additional allowances such as medical allowance, shop allowances based on the number of ration cards served, and special allowances for employees working in hill regions have also been included in the revised pay structure.
The move is expected to benefit thousands of ration shop workers across Tamil Nadu who play a crucial role in distributing essential commodities through the state’s public distribution system.