NEW DELHI: Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan today said Aadhaar-enabled point-of-sales (PoS) devices have so far been installed in 51 per cent of the 5.45 lakh ration shops and the rest will be achieved by the year-end.
The PoS-based sales undertaken are being monitored centrally and for which a website "www.annavitran.nic.in" has been developed and will be launched soon, he said. As per the food law, states have to install PoS devices in ration shops to bring transparency in distribution and check pilferage under the Public Distribution System (PDS).
"So far, the machines have been installed in 2.68 lakh shops, comprising 51 per cent. Some states have done fully, while others are in the process," Paswan told PTI after a review meeting in this regard. As many as 10 states, including Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh, have done fully, while states like Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Chattisgarh have achieved more than 90 per cent, he said.
"There are some states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar where it is going slow. I have asked them to speed up the work." The PoS machines are handheld devices which allow Aadhaar authentication at the moment of distribution, ensuring that beneficiaries receive their allocated ration.
On new website developed to track sale undertaken via Aadhaar-enabled PoS terminals, Paswan said this will provide state and district wise transactions. "The website is being run on a trial mode at present. It will be ready for launch in next few months. I hope by then all states complete installation of PoS machines and that data can be captured online," he added. Under the food law, the government provides 5 kg of subsidised foodgrains per person every month at Rs 1-3 kg. to two-thirds of India’s population.