LUCKNOW: A portal to ensure hassle-free online delivery of food grain and essential items during the lockdown introduced by the Joint Magistrate-Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Gorakhpur is winning him accolades. Even the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has taken cognizance of it and has recommended that others follow the system.
Sources said a senior PMO official recently called up Joint Magistrate-SDM Gaurav Singh Sogarwal, the brain behind the online delivery portal, to compliment him. The official asked Sogarwal about the nitty-gritty of the system that he has evolved so that his model could be replicated in other parts of the country.
“A senior official at the PMO, Nikhil Gajraj, had called me up. He appreciated the initiative of online delivery portal and wanted a presentation on the system evolved to ensure online delivery of goods and essential items,” confirmed Sogarwal. Moreover, the IAS Association also complimented the SDM for his initiative. Significantly, so far there has not been a single case of COVID-19 in Gorakhpur, the domain of UP CM Yogi Adityanath.
A 2017 batch IAS officer, Sogarwal belongs to Bharatpur in Rajasthan and was transferred to Gorakhpur in January this year. He is an electrical engineer from Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan, Pune.
“This portal system has helped us in keeping over 40,000 people indoors,” said Sogarwal. He added, “So far around two lakh orders for delivery have been received on the portal. Over 30,000 orders are received here on daily basis. We have deputed around 950 delivery boys to ensure delivery of goods at doorsteps.”
Following the sudden announcement of the lockdown, the SDM of Gorakhpur created the online portal to ensure home delivery of goods and food grain to people. “This initiative helped the Gorakhpur district administration in enforcing complete lockdown without much hassle for the public as they were getting everything they wanted at their doorstep within no time,” said a senior official of the Gorakhpur district administration.
Explaining the system, Sogarwal said that to ensure supply of food grain and other essential items in rural areas, a list of 1400 shops and the mobile numbers of the shopkeepers was shared on social media platforms like Facebook. “It was also shared with the village heads who spread the information to every village. To ensure that shopkeeper do not indulge in underweighing or overcharging, a Lekhpal level officer was deputed in shops,” said Sogarwal.
He added that to ensure flawless operations, the Lekhpal or even other officials used to call up the shopkeepers in the guise of a customer to extract information about the rates of the goods. “Any shopkeeper who tries to indulge in malpractices or takes people for a ride is struck down from the list,” said the SDM.