The food and civil supplies department today started distributing ration through point of sale device (PoS) at all 2,254 fair-price shops on a month-long trial basis.
Food and Civil Supplies Minister Imran Hussain said that after the trial run, the government may consider a complete roll
out of the facility from February.
At present, the government is distributing specified food articles to the tune of 3.75 lakh quintals to 72.78 lakhs beneficiaries per month in the national capital.
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"For availing this facility, the biometric data of the beneficiaries must match the official record," Hussain told reporters here.
He also said that the new system will have a robust mechanism for verification of beneficiaries through the Aadhaar authentication, having features to monitor transactions online.
The e-Pos devices have also been integrated with electronic weighing machine to ensure correct weight to the beneficiaries.
"Under this system, distribution of eight per cent of the total card holders will be allowed off line in order to provide ease to the beneficiaries whose Aadhaar authentication either fails or who still do not possess Aadhaar cards," the minister also said.
The proposal will soon be tabled in the Cabinet meeting for the approval.
According to Hussain, there was a long pending demand of fair price shop owners for increasing the margin money in order to enable them bear the costs of running FPS on account of wages payment, rent of the shop, shortage incurred during retail distribution, electricity charges and reasonable commission/profit to make FPS operation sustainable and viable.