The State Government has allotted 20.44 lakh quintals of ration materials under the Public Distribution System (PDS) for the month of September.
The directives for distribution of ration had been issued by the State Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Department to all the 27 districts in the State, an official press release informed on Monday.
Notably, Chhattisgarh has a total of 12,176 operational electronic Point of Sale ‘e-POS’ devices installed in Fair Price Shops (FPS) so far under the Public Distribution System (PDS), the Central Government has informed.
The State had been implementing the installation of electronic Point of Sale (e-PoS) devices for the biometric authentication of and distribution of the subsidised foodgrains to eligible beneficiaries.
e-PoS devices facilitate the authentication of beneficiaries (preferably Aadhaar based), recording of sales to beneficiaries electronically and uploading of sale transactions data in a central server.
Nationally, out of 5.27 lakh FPSs across the country, 2,45,706 FPSs have been automated so far.
As a result of FPS automation, the State/UT Governments are able to reduce ghost lifting and achieve rightful targetting of food subsidies.
Chhattisgarh has achieved 100 per cent digitization of the Public Distribution System (PDS) beneficiaries database.
There are 23 other states in the country which have also achieved 100 per cent digitization of the PDS database, officials stated.
Chhattisgarh’s Public Distribution System (PDS) model has gram panchayats, co-operative societies and women's self help groups (SHGs) operating the fair price shops, officials stated.
About 90 % of the masses are covered under Food and Nutrition Security Act was implemented in 2013, officials stated.
Chhattisgarh’s PDS under Antyodaya and Priority families schemes provides 35 kg foodgrains at Rs 1 per kilo. Since June 2014 single member category ration card-holders under destitutes segment are provided 10 kg food grains free of cost.
Notably, Chhattisgarh State Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Minister Punnulal Mohle had called upon the Central Government to computerize the ration shops under the Public Distribution System (PDS) while addressing the State Food Ministers' National Conference in New Delhi last year.
He had called upon the Central Government to provide two-kg 'Daal' (pulses) at Rs 10 per kg to the Antyodaya and Priority and below poverty card-holders under the National Food Security Act this should be done.
Union Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Ramvilas Paswan and Union Agriculture Minister Radhamohan Singh were also present at the meeting.
Moreover, 'DigiDhan' software had been uploaded in 2851 ration shops of the Public Distribution System (PDS) to provide customers cashless transaction facility in the entire State.
Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Department officials said that out of 11 , 828 ration shops about 7, 467 shops are linked to Internet and cashless transactions are going to be operational soon.
Five cities of Chhattisgarh now have the Core-PDS system implemented involving a total of 484 ration shops, officials informed.
Chhattisgarh has achieved 100 per cent digitization of the Public Distribution System (PDS) beneficiaries database.
There are 23 other states in the country which have also achieved 100 per cent digitization of the PDS database, officials stated.