DAVANAGERE/CHITRADURGA: In a move aimed at easing the burden on beneficiaries and reducing long queues outside ration shops across Karnataka, the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department is developing an Android application that will enable ration card holders to complete their e-KYC process more conveniently.
According to sources, the proposed application is being designed to streamline beneficiary verification and reduce the workload on fair-price shops, many of which continue to rely on outdated laptops and computer systems. The initiative is also intended to accelerate the e-KYC process in line with guidelines prescribed by the Central Government.
Officials said the application is currently undergoing testing to ensure error-free operation and is expected to be made available to the public within the next eight to ten days.
Speaking to the TNIE, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Rizwan Arshad acknowledged that beneficiaries have been facing difficulties due to operational glitches in the ongoing e-KYC drive.
“There are operational issues in the e-KYC programme, and the public is facing considerable hardship in completing the process. Therefore, the deadline has been extended until October 20,” he said.
The minister added that the department is simultaneously working on a mobile-based system that would allow beneficiaries to complete their e-KYC from home, reducing dependence on fair-price shops and easing pressure on the existing infrastructure.
He said steps had also been taken to upgrade the department's servers to improve processing speeds and ensure that no eligible beneficiary is left out of the exercise.
Responding to concerns regarding cooperative societies operating multiple fair-price shops through a single system, Arshad said each shop must function through a separate system.
“If any society is operating three or four fair-price shops through a single system, the matter should be brought to the notice of the local Food and Civil Supplies Department so that corrective action can be taken,” he said.
Beneficiaries face technical hurdles
The mandatory e-KYC exercise for ration card holders has resulted in repeated visits by many Below Poverty Line (BPL) beneficiaries to fair-price shops as server failures, lengthy queues and biometric authentication issues continue to hamper the process.
The department initiated the re-e-KYC exercise across the state, requiring beneficiaries to authenticate their Aadhaar details, largely through biometric verification at fair-price shops. In view of the difficulties being faced by the public, the government has extended the deadline from September 30 to October 20.
At several fair-price shops, beneficiaries have reportedly waited for hours only to be turned away because the system could not process their requests.
The situation has been particularly challenging for elderly beneficiaries and those whose fingerprints fail biometric authentication. For many, a failed authentication attempt means another trip to the ration shop, increasing the burden on vulnerable households that depend on the Public Distribution System (PDS).