Device to foil ration cheats in Bengal

PRANESH SARKAR, TT, Aug 10, 2018, Calcutta: The Mamata Banerjee government has decided to install "point of sale machines" in ration shops across Bengal to ensure beneficiaries get the foodgrain allotted to them.

Sources said the move followed complaints that a section of dealers deprived beneficiaries by offering less grain than they were entitled to.

"Initially, the project will be taken up in 50 to 100 ration shops each in six districts - East Burdwan, East Midnapore, North 24-Parganas, Hooghly, North Dinajpur and Jalpaiguri. Later, the project will be extended to all fair price shops across the state," said a senior official.

The point of sale (POS) machines will record the thumb impression of the holders of digital ration cards. These have replaced paper-based cards in the past three years. The cards will have to be swapped in the POS devices by mentioning the quantity of foodgrain provided. The information will be recorded with the main server of the food and supplies department.

"Digital ration cards are enabled with a chip that contains all details of the card-holder. If we find that a beneficiary is given less than what he or she is entitled to, steps will be initiated against the shop owner," said a senior official.

Officials in the department said they had received complaints that a large number of beneficiaries, particularly those in rural areas where literacy is not high, were misled by shop owners who gave them less rice or wheat than their quota.

The ruling establishment decided to take steps to check the practice after Trinamul's poor showing in tribal areas in the May panchayat polls.

The sources cited reports from the ground that a section of the rural poor were not happy and ration irregularities were identified as one the reasons behind the disenchantment.

"The situation has turned critical for the ruling party ahead of the Lok Sabha polls next year. People in some areas believe ration shop owners were depriving them with the help of a section of ruling party leaders. This was hurting the ruling party and thus the (POS) scheme was considered," said another official.

But some felt the new system was not foolproof. "In areas where literacy is not high, some beneficiaries might not understand whether the shop owner inserted in the POS machine the quantity actually provided," said an official.

Some suggested constant monitoring of shops. "But this is a Herculean task as the department lacks the manpower to keep tabs on ration shops regularly," another official said.