Ration card holders will be able to get ration from the shops of their choice
Raipur, 22 February 2022 / Ration distribution will be done through e-POS from the month of March in fair price shops run by Chhattisgarh government. It is noteworthy that the ration card holders of the fair price shops of the e-POS established districts will be able to get the ration material from the fair price shop of their choice. A letter in this regard has been issued by the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Department to all the district collectors. Instructions have been given to distribute ration for the month of February through e-POS devices as well as through tablets.
A total of 13 thousand 294 government fair price shops are being operated in the state, out of which e-POS equipment has been installed in 12 thousand 322 government fair price shops. E-POS equipment is yet to be installed in the remaining 972 fair price shops. Food grains will be distributed through e-POS machines from the month of March 2022 in the shops with e-POS system. Tablets will not be used for distribution of food grains from the month of March 2022 in these fair price shops. Food grains will be distributed through tablets till the installation of e-POS system in the remaining 972 fair price shops.
In the remaining 24 districts except Narayanpur, Bijapur, Sukma and Dantewada districts, the ration card holders of 12 thousand 322 fair price shops with e-POS system will get the facility of getting ration from the fair price shop of their choice in these districts. Instructions have been given to get the information of Aadhar number immediately and get it registered in the departmental website of such ration card holders, in which the Aadhar number of any member is not verified or not received. For such ration card holders whose Aadhaar of any member is verified, but the Aadhaar authentication through e-POS device is failing, directions have been given to submit proposal for the determination of the nominee (representative) for the distribution of food grains to such ration card holders, to the Directorate of Food through the District Collector. After obtaining permission from the Directorate, the food can be distributed through the nominee after the food officer has appointed the other beneficiary as the nominee at the district level.
It has been stated in the letter that the ration distribution can be done through the nominee appointed by the food officer at the district level on the written application of differently-abled ration card holders, ration card holders of more than 60 years or less than 10 years. Besides, it has also been stated that the distribution of rice, sugar, gram, salt, jaggery and kerosene has to be done compulsorily every month before the first day of the month in all government fair price shops as per the monthly allotment. If there is a delay in the storage of food grains by the transporter, penal action should be taken against them as per rules. Besides, instructions have been given to the officers of the Food Department to continuously monitor the distribution of food grains through e-POS equipment by the government fair price shop operators.
If there is any defect in the E-POS equipment during the ration distribution, it will be informed to the Assistant Programmer or Food Inspector within 24 hours by the fair price shop operator concerned and the representative of the vendor at the block or district level should ensure that technical faults are resolved within 48 hours. In case of delay in receipt of information about the malfunctioning of e-POS equipment which is affecting the distribution of food grains, the officer concerned will be personally responsible and disciplinary action will be taken against him/her. Manual distribution of food grains should not be done by the government fair price shop operators to the ration card holders under any circumstances.
