NCP MLA, Ashok Pawar from Shirur Taluka in Pune district, was instrumental in getting rationing shops to use a biometric tool while distributing food grains to the public. Now, its success has resulted in the same being put it in practice all over the state. This will bring an end to black marketing of food grains.
Bogus or illegal ration cards mean less food grains for those who have valid ration cards. Currently the issue of about 54 lakh such illegal ration cards has become a cause of concern. The same was also discussed at the Nagpur assembly today. Answering the queries, the State's Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection, Anil Deshmukh mentioned about the success of the biometric tool in preventing misuse of the public distribution system (PDS) or ration shops. According to Deshmukh, €Five villages in Shirur Taluka have been using biomentric tools successfully for the past 18 months. This has resulted in saving as well as putting an end to black marketing of food grains.€ Anil Deshmukh, thus seconded Pawar's idea of putting the use of biometric tools all across the state.
End to black marketing of food grains:
Those with valid ration cards suffer due to the black marketing of this food grain. But with the state using biometric tools to validate the person's identity, black marketing of food grains can stop and those with illegal ration cards can be identified easily. Biometric tools use a person's fingerprints or iris scans to identify the person.
NCP MLA, Ashok Pawar from Shirur Taluka in Pune district, was the first to come up with using technology to ensure fair distribution of food grains to the public. The technology was used in Vadgav Rasai village where the villagers purchased 2 machines at Rs 60,000. Thus, now all those holding valid ration cards need to prove their identity by placing their finger prints on the biometric machine.
How it works:
One member of each family besides the family's head (on whose name the ration card is held) are made to record their fingerprint details. This information is stored at a server. When a person approaches a ration shop and places his finger on the machine, the machine immediately matches the current finger print information to the information already stored in its server. Only those people whose fingerprints are authenticated will be given food grains.
Likely changes:
The government has started recording fingerprints of other family members too, just so that it becomes convenient for any other member of the family to also collect the grains on behalf of the family.
Currently, the tool is being used at 6 shops across 5 villages in Shirur Taluka. These include, Chavanwadi, Tandali, Kuruli and Vadgav Rasai.
Under the Anna Suraksha Yojna, 32 lakh families are to be provided with food grains. With technology ensuring that misuse of PDS food grains is stopped, the scheme will be able to deliver grains for all those it promised to. Currently in the absence of adequate number of PDS shops, even gram panchayats, saving groups and government institutions etc are being pooled in as centers to provide these grains.
Earlier, the common man standing in the long queue was not sure whether there would be enough grain for him when it was his turn. But now thanks to the use of new technology, those with valid cards can be sure of getting their share.
Other than that, the information collected through the use of biometric tools will even help in understanding various related facets of the state's public distribution system, number of illegal ration card holders and even understanding the demographic details of an are
Bogus or illegal ration cards mean less food grains for those who have valid ration cards. Currently the issue of about 54 lakh such illegal ration cards has become a cause of concern. The same was also discussed at the Nagpur assembly today. Answering the queries, the State's Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection, Anil Deshmukh mentioned about the success of the biometric tool in preventing misuse of the public distribution system (PDS) or ration shops. According to Deshmukh, €Five villages in Shirur Taluka have been using biomentric tools successfully for the past 18 months. This has resulted in saving as well as putting an end to black marketing of food grains.€ Anil Deshmukh, thus seconded Pawar's idea of putting the use of biometric tools all across the state.
End to black marketing of food grains:
Those with valid ration cards suffer due to the black marketing of this food grain. But with the state using biometric tools to validate the person's identity, black marketing of food grains can stop and those with illegal ration cards can be identified easily. Biometric tools use a person's fingerprints or iris scans to identify the person.
NCP MLA, Ashok Pawar from Shirur Taluka in Pune district, was the first to come up with using technology to ensure fair distribution of food grains to the public. The technology was used in Vadgav Rasai village where the villagers purchased 2 machines at Rs 60,000. Thus, now all those holding valid ration cards need to prove their identity by placing their finger prints on the biometric machine.
How it works:
One member of each family besides the family's head (on whose name the ration card is held) are made to record their fingerprint details. This information is stored at a server. When a person approaches a ration shop and places his finger on the machine, the machine immediately matches the current finger print information to the information already stored in its server. Only those people whose fingerprints are authenticated will be given food grains.
Likely changes:
The government has started recording fingerprints of other family members too, just so that it becomes convenient for any other member of the family to also collect the grains on behalf of the family.
Currently, the tool is being used at 6 shops across 5 villages in Shirur Taluka. These include, Chavanwadi, Tandali, Kuruli and Vadgav Rasai.
Under the Anna Suraksha Yojna, 32 lakh families are to be provided with food grains. With technology ensuring that misuse of PDS food grains is stopped, the scheme will be able to deliver grains for all those it promised to. Currently in the absence of adequate number of PDS shops, even gram panchayats, saving groups and government institutions etc are being pooled in as centers to provide these grains.
Earlier, the common man standing in the long queue was not sure whether there would be enough grain for him when it was his turn. But now thanks to the use of new technology, those with valid cards can be sure of getting their share.
Other than that, the information collected through the use of biometric tools will even help in understanding various related facets of the state's public distribution system, number of illegal ration card holders and even understanding the demographic details of an are
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