DC | Shrinivasa M. | 22nd Oct 2013
Bengaluru: When the department of Food and Civil Supplies launched the Electronic Weighing-cum-Point of Sale Machines (EW-POS-M) in ‘fair price shops’ in the state, the move was welcomed. In fact it was hailed as the solution to the pilfering of subsidized food grains supplied under the Public Distribution System (PDS).
But now the department is planning to replace these machines (many with faulty biometric data base uploaded into them) with compulsory Aadhar cards.
According to sources familiar with these developments, many complaints have been received by the department that Below Poverty Line (BPL) families were deprived of Anna Bhagya (Rs 1 rice scheme) due to these machines.
Complaints were attributed to the faulty biometric data collected in a drive launched by the department itself. It may be recalled that the department successfully removed more than 51 lakh bogus BPL cards through this drive.
An officer from the department informed that following complaints, these Electronic Weighing-cum-Point of Sale Machines are not working properly and the old manual module has been re-adopted in many fair price shops.
“A number of officials have reservations about these newly introduced machines. These machines were the brainchild of then-secretary, department of food and civil supplies B A Harish Gowda. When they were introduced for the first time in the city on a pilot project, even a parliamentary standing committee on Food and Civil Supplies appreciated it. But now in the changed circumstances no one wants these machines,” he said.
“These machines have become a nightmare for many fair price shop owners. Now in the name of errors in the biometric data, the manual system has been reintroduced in many areas,” he added.
Meanwhile, the department is likely to make Aadhar compulsory to avail of the ‘Anna Bhagya’.
“The proposal is tagging the BPL card holders to Aadhar card to ensure that all the new schemes introduced by the department will reach all the beneficiaries and erase the benami beneficiaries,” he said. Dinesh Gundurao, minister, food and civil supplies (independent charge) was not available for comment even after repeated attempts.
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