On the lines of Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, the Delhi administration has come out with a scheme to help the citizens pay their utility bills from Fair Price ration shops in their area. People will be able to open bank accounts, book train tickets, pay insurance premiums, property tax, water and electricity bills. The city Government is soon going to launch this scheme as it plans to reach out to the people by extending measures that would bring qualitative changes in their daily lives.
According to Government statistics, there are 2,480 ration shops in the national Capital and the administration has shortlisted 40 ration shops in New Delhi and Rohini area for the launch of this grand scheme. The scheme may be extended to other parts of the city once the Government gets feedback from the public, said an official.
The decision to expand services from the neighbourhood mom-and- pop stores was taken after due deliberation. The administration now plans to provide online connectivity to these shops and will also provide them with laptops. The shops will be given micro ATMs too.
According to a senior Delhi Government official, the administration is holding parleys with eGovServices, the world’s largest open source solution provider, to get the multi-service facility operational in the ration shops. eGovServices offers e-governance solution for Governments at all levels. These solutions have been found to be very effective means of governance and also help the Government to reach out to the people quickly. The software also helps various governments in improving upon their services and in the process ensuring service delivery to the citizens.
A Government official said that Delhiites would be able to open bank accounts. They would be able to get mini statements and also keep a track of their accounts through mini ATMs.
Another official said that the ration shopkeepers would also be authorised to accept electricity and water bills. They will be empowered to collect property tax as well. Asked whether the shops would function 24x7, he
said that their timings would be governed by market timings only. The Food and Supplies Department also plans to extend multi-service facilities at ration shops to ensure these outlets are opened every day. “Generally we have noticed that these shops open only when they have to distribute subsidised ration,” an inspector of the Food and Supplies Department said.
The Government is also planning to give licences of the ration shops to empower self-help women’s groups. There are about 500 registered self-help women’s groups in the city. “We will encourage women groups to run the ration shops. In order to empower women in the city, we will give women preference to run our new ration shops,” an official said.