Imphal: All fair price shop (FPS) agents are to compulsorily use e-POS devices while obtaining biometric authentication of NFSA and PMGKAY beneficiaries at the time of distribution of foodgrains so that there is no deduction of monthly allocation of NFSA in the future by way of adjustment against quantity shown to be not distributed on account of e-POS devices not being used fully by the FPS agents.
The mandatory was notified on Wednesday by consumer affairs food and public distribution department.
One Nation One Ration Card has been implemented in Manipur as a part of the nationwide technology-driven intervention under Public Distribution System of foodgrains for facilitating portability of ration cards under NFSA/PMGKAY. ONORC also envisions that stranded migrants / workers who are on the move wthin the country shall have access to their NFSA/PMGKAY entitlements from a properly automated Fair Price Shop (FPS) located anywhere in the country, the notification said.
It said the state government has also introduced automation of FPSs in Manipur for distribution of foodgrains through 2340 e-POS devices which were distributed to respective FPS agents in Manipur.
Use of the e-POS devices by the FPS agents has not been satisfactory and manual distribution is observed to be a norm rather than exception at the time of distribution of the foodgrains under NFSA / PMGKAY.
The government of India has monitored the distribution of the foodgrains through e-POS devices and assess the quantity of rice distributed under NFSA / PMGKAY in Manipur from time to time.
The allocation under NFSA for July has been reduced from 10610.645 MTs to 2831.92 MTs due to adjustment against quantity of foodgrains supposedly kept undistributed under PMGKAY and ANB during 2020. The discrepancy in quantity actually distributed and shown to be kept undistributed under the abovementioned two schemes is due to non-usage of e-POS devices adequately during April, 2020 to November, 2021.
There is possibility of recurrence of such deduction in monthly quantity of NFSA due to non-usage of e-POS devices by the FPS agents, the office memorandum said.
Deputy commissioners have been requested to instruct the district supply officers (DSO) to enforce usage of e-POS devices mandatorily by the FPS agents. DSOs shall organise sensitisation programmes in the shortest possible timeframe to convey the seriousness of the matter of insufficient usage of e-POS devices and comply with the the office memorandum.
Honorarium for FPS agents will only be considered on satisfactory adoption of e-POS devices and for the quantity recorded in the e-POS devices only, the officememorandum said.
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