Call it a Pongal gift from the government, if you will. From mid-January next year, your TASMAC (Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation) vendor can’t fleece you for the liquor you buy there.
For, he will have to issue computerised bills for all items you buy.
The new system is meant to curb the widespread practice of TASMAC employees selling products at mark-up rates.
The new billing system would be linked with the global positioning system (GPS) as also with the online server of the district, region and State manager’s office of TASMAC.
According to official sources, TASMAC would distribute 2,500 handheld laser beam bar code scanners along with computer billing machines for retail outlets. “Out of 6,800 outlets in the State, first we will provide machines to outlets in major cities. The system would be implemented before Pongal 2013,” said an official.
Officials hope that the new system would introduce transparency.
Tenders for procuring the equipment have already been floated and vendors would be short-listed next month, said an official.
A five-member committee, comprising the managing director (MD), general manager (GM) (wholesale and administration), GM (retail vending), chief GM, senior regional manager of TASMAC and an expert from Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu Ltd (ELCOT) has been appointed, to examine the tender papers and take the final call on the vendors.
Every shop would be provided one bar code scanner, billing machine and a computer with an Internet connection along with GPS system. The computer bill would provide details, such as name of the liquor brand, value added tax per bottle, State excise duty, Central sales tax, service tax, rate per bottle, quantity, date of delivery, outlet registration number and its full address, sources added.
“The system has separate columns for entering data such as depot name, purchase details along with delivery date, daily opening stock, closing stock, daily sales, weekly auditing method, accounting variation of the bottles supplied from depot and the total sales in a day,” said an official.
“In order to operate the gadgets during power outage, power backup would be provided,” an official added.