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Public Distribution System goes online in Tripura
[Assam Tribune, 30th Nov 2013]
AGARTALA, Nov 29 – The day is not far when Union Food Minister PJ Thomas would be able to see distribution status of PDS items of a particular government Fair Price Shop in Tripura.The State Food and Civil Supplies department has embarked on a mission to go on-line. Not only data entry, all the records of the department and ration shops including stock registers could be checked by browsing the Internet once the project is implemented. As part of the e-governance plan, the Centre has sanctioned Rs 1 crore for data entry of all ration cards, first stage of the computerisation of the entire PDS system in the State.“The plan has already got underway at the department with data entry gaining ground with every passing day”, said Food and Civil Supplies Minister Bhanu Lal Saha.The way works are progressing, it will take six to seven months to compete the data entry process, he told the media on Friday.Saha said one could know the stock register of a particular ration shop by sitting at home provided he/she has Internet facility. “The concept is like the Aadhaar project. The entire PDS system will be available on the Internet and anybody can check the status of the system”, he said.The National Informatics Centre (NIC) has been engaged to computerise the entire PDS of the State. The State has over nine lakh ration cards while the number of Fair Price Shops stands at 1,731.According to officials, the project is supposed to ensure a total transparency in the PDS as everything will be on-line, with virtually no scope for manipulation or tampering.Pilferage of ration items had become a daily routine as revealed by a series of successful raids in and around Maharajganj Bazar by the Sadar administration. The Sadar administration has cancelled eight dealerships in the State capital on the charge of irregularities.