Biometric-based Aadhaar ID for wheat distribution
Tribune News Service
Nawanshahr, July 28
Distribution of wheat through e-PoS machines seems to have brought some transparency in the ration distribution by the state government this time. As per the new system put in place, no one other than the ration card holder will be able to get wheat without matching bio-metric based Aadhaar identification.
Deputy Commissioner Vinay Bublani said the introduction of e-PoS with UID identification would make things easy and transparent. The ration would only be given to that member of family whose UID data would match with the system. After matching, e-PoS machine would generate a final slip for distribution.
DFSC Renu Bala Verma said as per the National Food Security Act, 2013, the smart ration card scheme had been started in the state and it is mainly aimed at bringing transparency and accountability in the Public Distribution System (PDS). The e-PoS machines are based on the biometric system and besides elimination of bogus/ineligible card holders, the consumer-friendly system would also help to curb pilferage of food grains.
She said there were 83,988 ration card holders of Antodya and Atta-Dal schemes in the district who are being given the wheat by using e-PoS. Antodya card holders are entitled for 50 kg wheat per month per card while each blue (PH) card holder gets five kg of wheat per month per member at a subsidised rate of Rs 2 per kg, she added.
Distribution of ration through e-PoS machines would bring transparency as only genuine beneficiaries would be left. She said the beneficiaries were being given wheat of six months from April to September.
“We have been given 16 total e-PoS machines in the district as per the availability of Food Inspectors. These have also been linked with weighing machines and IRIS (eye) scanners.
Inspector Satinderpal Singh started distribution of wheat on Saturday at Jandiala village in the Banga sub-divison.
The dues of depot holders of also have been cleared by making a payment of Rs 81.36 lakh as commission. Henceforth, they would be given commission by adjusting their margin money at the time of allocation of wheat to them, said the DFSC.
Jalandhar: MLA from Shahkot Assembly segment Hardev Singh Laddi Sherowalia on Friday launched the Smart Ration Card scheme under which wheat was distributed through the Aadhaar-enabled Public Distribution System (PDS) in villages of his constituency.
The MLA said this revolutionary step of the state government aims at minimising diversion, leakage, pilferage and to bring transparency in the targeted PDS and to ensure that eligible beneficiaries get their entitled quota.
He said the state government had initiated the distribution of wheat to the eligible beneficiaries through e-PoS devices. addi said all individual beneficiaries on the portal of the Food and Supplies Department had been seeded with their Aadhaar numbers which would decimate the probability of bogus/ghost beneficiaries.
