The State Government has come out with a big relief for ration beneficiaries whose biometric identifications often fail due to their deteriorated thumb impressions. Most of the biometric machines provided to the PDS dealers across the State are unequipped with iris scanners which every now and then do not identify beneficiaries depriving them of their monthly food grain quota.
Informing about this, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Saryu Roy assured the members in the House on Monday that the PDS shops would be provided with new machines in the next Budget.
“We have gone a big way in modernising the pubic delivery mechanism in the State by introducing computers and distribution of food grains based on online and off-line modes. However, this has also brought out certain difficulties and reports about biometric machines not recognising thumb impression of working class and older people have come into light. Since the Aadhaar registration also records iris scan, we would introduce new machines in future for alternate verification,” said the Minister.
The Government has introduced the biometric system in all 23,082 PDS shops across the State which has, the Minister claimed, stopped pilferage existing in the PDS system to a great extent. The Department has, at the same time, also made a provision of SMS based one-time password system if the thumb impression could not be recognised thrice.
The Minister, on the occasion, mentioned that the measures taken had succeeded in saving amount in the tune of Rs 700 crore to the Government. However, several members of the Assembly talked in great deal about the difficulty being faced by the rural masses who are often denied their monthly ration due to non-verification.
A senior official of the Department added that fresh orders for iris scanner fitted machines would be placed. “We may also see if the existing machines can be fitted with iris scanners,” said he. About 80 per cent of rural population is covered under the Food Security Act rolled out in the State in 2015.
The Minister went on adding that the Department was working to extend DBT in kerosene in seven districts from current four by March which later on would be spread across the State.
“We are working to delete about 4-5 lakh such ration cardholders who are not lifting their ration despite having got enrolled. 12-13 per cent beneficiaries are like that who would be deleted from February so that fresh needy can be added,” said Roy and added that one would need to apply at Pragya Kendras for getting ration card which would be processed through ration card management system software. Referring to a probe conducted in salt scam by an Assembly Committee, the Minister assured the House that the report would be presented by March for action.
Informing about paddy procurement, the Minister said that registration system in place for farmers was necessary since paddy from outside the State was being routed here since the MSP is Rs 1600 per quintal in Jharkhand.
“Till now 63,652 farmers have been registered for paddy purchase and 44,022 SMSs have been sent to them for the purchase. But only 5,500 farmers have turned up to sell paddy at the centres and we are requesting local krishak mitras and gram sabha members to make farmers aware about this,” said Roy while replying to Demands for Grants presented for the Department.
