‘Digitisation of ration cards will take more time’

TEAM HERALD

PANJIM: Lethargy on the part of department officials to decipher between genuine and bogus ration card holders in the State, will prevent the government from completing digitization of ration cards by March 2015, as stipulated by the Centre, Civil Supplies Minister Dayanand Mandrekar admitted on Tuesday. 

Mandrekar is also not happy with the Goa Electronics Limited (GEL), which has been entrusted with the task of developing software and implementation of the computerization programme of the public distribution system.

“I am saying this openly that government cannot complete the computerization of the public distribution system (PDS) and ration cards by March 2015,” he said. The Minister was in a dilemma whether to give any new deadlines for the programme completion or not. Mandrekar had assured the State Legislative Assembly, last year, that his department would complete the digitization of ration cards by March 2015. 

“There are several loopholes in completing the project. The data available with us and GEL does not tally. The Civil Supplies department and GEL both have failed to complete the entrusted work in a time bound manner,” Mandrekar said, adding that total 52,000 ration card holders have been identified by his department in Bardez taluka alone and smart ration cards would be issued to them. 

There are another 18,000 ration card holders in Bardez, whose whereabouts are not known, he stated. Mandrekar is planning to hold a meeting with Union Minister for Consumer Affairs and Food and Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan by January end to discuss the difficulties in implementing 

the food security bill and computerization of the PDS and ration cards.