"Until the Gujarat government introduces a new, simpler and easier system for public distribution system (PDS), all the 900 fair price shops in the city will remain shut and it will affect more than five lakh people here including BPL (below poverty line) card holders," Prahlad told PTI.
Prahlad Modi is elder brother of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"The bio-metric system is not people-friendly and is very complicated. People often do not find their thumb print matched and so they have to return without taking food-grain, sugar or other essential commodities. The state government is solely responsible for the agony of the people as well as the shop owners," Prahlad said.
Bio-metric ration cards were introduced in March 2013 during Narendra Modi's tenure as the Chief Minister.
However, the state government has said that any irregularities in the distribution of food items by the fair price shop owners is kept under check due to the bio-metric ration card system and it will provide ration to people through other system if the fair price shop owners close their operations.