The government is all set to instal GPS tracking devices in public distribution system (PDS) trucks to curb delays in transportation and to check pilferage of foodgrains.
This follows allegations that foodgrains get diverted to the black market during transit from warehouses to godowns and from godowns to fair price shops (FPS). The food and civil supplies department, which has begun seeding Aadhaar cards with ration cards as part of the exercise to weed out bogus ration cards, has started work on setting up a comprehensive web-based, real-time tracking system of PDS trucks.It plans to fit trucks with RFID tags along with weight-based emptiness detection and stock calculator technology to detect diversion of commodities meant for fair price shops.
"The objective is to continuously track the movement of vehicles to ensure the commodities are delivered properly and on time to the FPS. The new technology not only tracks vehicles but also gives information about the stock in a moving truck," said food and civil supplies minister U T Khader.
He said the government has been receiving many complaints regarding non-availability of sufficient ration for poor families in spite of being supplied with the optimum amount of foodgrain from godowns, especially in Bengaluru Urban districts.
Around 5 quintals of various essential commodities, including rice and wheat, are supplied from FCI godowns to the FPS. Around 500 trucks are deployed for transportation every month, said a senior official of the Food and Civil Supplies Corporation. Moreover, trucks will be painted with a specific colour to ensure the driver doesn't stop at secluded places to divert stocks.
This follows allegations that foodgrains get diverted to the black market during transit from warehouses to godowns and from godowns to fair price shops (FPS). The food and civil supplies department, which has begun seeding Aadhaar cards with ration cards as part of the exercise to weed out bogus ration cards, has started work on setting up a comprehensive web-based, real-time tracking system of PDS trucks.It plans to fit trucks with RFID tags along with weight-based emptiness detection and stock calculator technology to detect diversion of commodities meant for fair price shops.
"The objective is to continuously track the movement of vehicles to ensure the commodities are delivered properly and on time to the FPS. The new technology not only tracks vehicles but also gives information about the stock in a moving truck," said food and civil supplies minister U T Khader.
He said the government has been receiving many complaints regarding non-availability of sufficient ration for poor families in spite of being supplied with the optimum amount of foodgrain from godowns, especially in Bengaluru Urban districts.
Around 5 quintals of various essential commodities, including rice and wheat, are supplied from FCI godowns to the FPS. Around 500 trucks are deployed for transportation every month, said a senior official of the Food and Civil Supplies Corporation. Moreover, trucks will be painted with a specific colour to ensure the driver doesn't stop at secluded places to divert stocks.