New Delhi: In a move to enhance transparency and accountability in Delhi’s Public Distribution System (PDS), the food and civil supplies department will soon integrate electronic point of sale (ePoS) devices with digital weighing machines at all 1,967 fair price shops (FPS) across the city.This step aims to curb manipulation in manual weighing, which often leads to under-delivery of subsidised food grains. The digital system will reduce the scope for fraud and ensure accurate quantity delivery to beneficiaries, an official said.The decision was made on the instructions of food and civil supplies minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, after a meeting with department officials and the Delhi Sarkari Ration Dealers Sangh. “This integration is a long-awaited reform that will eliminate discrepancies and ensure real-time authentication,” Sirsa stated.He directed all FPS dealers and officials to ensure regular maintenance of ePoS machines, stressing that no eligible beneficiary should be denied ration due to technical issues. He also reinforced the implementation of the ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ (ONORC) scheme to ensure timely distribution of ration to migrant beneficiaries.“Strict action will be taken against FPS dealers who deny rightful ration under NFSA. All shops must clearly display ONORC eligibility details to help migrant beneficiaries access their entitlements easily,” the official said.The integration will enable real-time weight data recording during transactions, helping prevent stock diversion and malpractices. tnn
