To check the pilferage of food grains meant for the consumers of the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD) department, the process to install IP cameras has started from the CAPD store here today.
"In a significant move to check pilferage of food-grains, Minister for CAPD Choudhary Zulfkar Ali, today launched installation of IP Cameras from CAPD store Warehouse, Jammu," an official spokesman said.
The minister said that all CAPD stores and the fleet carrying food-grains would be equipped with IP cameras which would further be connected with the mobiles of the concerned minister, Director CAPD and Assistant Directors of every district with dedicated broadband connections.
An Internet protocol camera (IP camera) is a digital video camera commonly employed for surveillance, and which, unlike analog closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras, can send and receive data through a computer network and the Internet.
He said the technology-driven move will facilitate effective monitoring of movement and transportation of essentials and help plug pilferages.
"This endeavor would go a long way in ensuring adequate and timely supply of food-grains to consumers giving necessary and timely feedback about the quantity stored and dispatched from godowns to various parts of the state", he said.
The minister said that the IP Cameras would be connected to a central hub which would be having the facilities of recording as well as maintaining the record for 15 to 20 days.
"Various initiatives have been taken by the government to streamline the functioning of the CAPD Department and these measures have started bearing the fruit," he said.
"The department also intends to launch point of sale machines in various sale outlets having a biometric system of finger print scan to ensure that the ration is provided to the targeted populace in a transparent manner averting any chance of pilferage", he added.
The minister said that the process of providing IP cameras in Jammu City would be completed within the next week and other districts of the division would be covered within a month in order to cover the whole province under the new monitoring network.
The Minister said that Jammu and Kashmir is among the few states having put in place such a high-tech tracking system.
He said that our next focus would be to install GPRS enabling monitoring system in food-grain carrying trucks which will provide information on real-time basis about the fleet movement.
