Mysuru: Karnataka Minister for Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Rizwan Arshad has warned of stern action against those hoarding sugar and other essential commodities, while directing officials to expedite e-KYC verification of ration card holders.
Chairing a progress review meeting of the Mysuru division on Wednesday, Arshad instructed officials to conduct regular raids and inspections to prevent hoarding and black marketing of essential food items.
He also made it clear that no ration card should be cancelled at present and directed officials to complete the e-KYC exercise quickly and submit a report within 15 days.
Raids ordered against hoarding
Arshad said the Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department has an important responsibility towards poor and vulnerable sections of society by ensuring the effective distribution of food and essential services.
He directed officials to ensure that commodities supplied through the public distribution system (PDS) reach genuine beneficiaries and do not enter the black market.
Officials of the Food and Civil Supplies and Legal Metrology departments were asked to work together and conduct inspections wherever complaints of hoarding or irregularities are received.
The minister’s directions come amid a sudden increase in sugar prices. He instructed officials to investigate complaints of excessive stocking and initiate legal action against those found violating regulations.
He also directed officials to take action when LPG cylinders are stored beyond permissible limits.
Legal Metrology officials told to step up inspections
Arshad said consumers should be protected from being cheated through inaccurate weighing and measurement of products.
He observed that many people are not sufficiently aware of the role played by the Legal Metrology Department and asked officials to increase public awareness while strengthening enforcement.
Frequent raids should be conducted wherever complaints are received that consumers are being given short weight or otherwise cheated during transactions, he said.
The minister stressed that coordinated action by the concerned departments would help ensure greater transparency in the supply and sale of essential commodities.
88,424 yet to complete e-KYC
Reviewing the status of e-KYC among ration card holders, Arshad said 88,424 people across the eight districts of the Mysuru division had not yet completed the process.
He directed officials to examine the reasons for the pending cases instead of immediately moving towards cancellation of ration cards.
The minister said e-KYC may remain incomplete because of migration, death, marriage or a person shifting to another location.
Officials were instructed to verify such cases, update the relevant details and forward the information to the department’s head office. A decision regarding cancellation of ration cards, wherever necessary, will be taken at the appropriate level, he said.
Arshad also expressed dissatisfaction over the performance of Hassan district, where only 8.53% of the e-KYC process had been completed.
He directed officials to speed up the verification process and ensure that eligible beneficiaries are not unnecessarily affected.
GPS installation ordered for supply vehicles
The minister also reviewed the department’s vehicle tracking system.
There are 371 vehicles operating across the eight districts under the Mysuru division, of which 176 have already been fitted with GPS.
Arshad directed officials to ensure that the remaining vehicles are equipped with GPS within 15 days.
The move is aimed at strengthening monitoring of vehicles used in the department’s operations and improving transparency in the movement and distribution of essential commodities.
CCTV cameras planned at warehouses
Interacting with journalists at a programme organised by MDJA earlier, Arshad said the government was planning several technological measures to strengthen monitoring of the Food and Civil Supplies Department.
He said CCTV cameras would be installed at all warehouses operated by the department.
A centralised control centre is also planned to monitor the warehouse network and manage the surveillance system.
The minister said the government was also considering the installation of electronic point-of-sale (e-POS) machines and iris scanners at all fair-price shops.
Pilot project in two districts
According to Arshad, the new technology-based systems will initially be introduced on a pilot basis in Chikkaballapur and Chitradurga districts.
The measures are expected to strengthen beneficiary authentication, improve monitoring of transactions at fair-price shops and reduce the scope for irregularities in the PDS.
He also said the government was planning to revise the criteria for obtaining ration cards.
The minister said the department’s broader objective was to improve efficiency, strengthen monitoring and ensure that government food supplies reach eligible beneficiaries without diversion.