The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Glaring loopholes in PDS system, says Minister

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Saturday, Jun 28, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Glaring loopholes in PDS system, says Minister

Special Correspondent

7.28 lakh BPL cards to be issued in a month
Minister pays surprise visit to 23 ration shops

BANGALORE: Glaring shortcomings in the functioning of the public distribution system (PDS) have come to light during a surprise visit to some ration shops in and around Bangalore by Minister for Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs H. Halappa.

The Minister, along with Commissioner for Food and Civil Supplies Shivaram and other officials, paid surprise visits to 23 ration shops in and around Bangalore on Thursday and Friday.

Mr. Halappa told presspersons that seven shops had remained closed during his visit and many shops reported excess storage of kerosene and foodgrains. Taking a serious note of lapses, the Minister ordered immediate suspension of Austin Town Food Inspector Sadashivaiah.

He said ration shops should remain open from 8 a.m. to 12 noon and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on all working days. But most of the shops did not follow the timings and were erratic in their functioning.

The Minister, who visited shops located on Magadi Road, K.P. Agrahara, Neelasandra, Viveknagar and Austin Town, said efforts would be made to correct the loopholes in the PDS by introducing smart ration cards to all households and streamlining the distribution and supply of foodgrains.

To check pilferage of foodgrains, he said control rooms would be established in Bangalore and all district headquarters and they would function from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. People can call the control room and file a complaint about lapses in the PDS.

The Department would issue 7.28 lakh ration cards to eligible below poverty line (BPL) families in a month. Under the G-9 programme, 12.71 lakh households were found to be eligible to receive BPL cards. Of them, 4.04 lakh cards have already been issued, he said. As on June 27, the department issued 71,87,892 BPL and 51,16,215 Above Poverty Line (APL) cards. The total number of households in the State is 1.24 crore.

Accountability

In a bid to ensure transparency and accountability in the PDS, he said smart cards would be issued soon to every household in three months. The Department has opted for a tie-up with a Bangalore-based private firm to overhaul the operation.

The smart card will contain information regarding the head of each family, his or her thumb impression and foodgrains quota. Photos of all family members will be printed on the card. The system is being introduced to act as a check on bogus ration cards that are rampant across the State.

“We will complete the procedure in three months. This will also help to bring accountability. At the click of a mouse, we will be able to access information from all centres,” the Minister said. The functioning of the smart card was also demonstrated to presspersons.

Mr. Halappa instructed all shop owners to display the list of APL and BPL households in their jurisdiction and the Food Inspectors to inspect quality and stock of foodgrains every month. In some places, Food Inspectors had not even visited shops once in three months, he said.

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