Govt to invest Rs 74 cr to modernise PDS: CA&PD Minister

Jammu, March 27

The Jammu and Kashmir government is working on a multi-pronged modernisation strategy, including an investment of Rs 74 crore and installation of GPS trackers in vehicles carrying food grains, to “ensure transparency and accountability” in the Public Distribution System (PDS) and control pilferage.

“The government will spend Rs 74 crore on the modernisation of the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CA&PD) Department to ensure transparency and accountability in the public delivery system,” CA&PD Minister Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali said.

The Minister said in the Legislative Assembly yesterday that the BJP-PDP coalition government is working on improving PDS and “modernisation is a vital step in this direction”.

He said the department would install GPS trackers in vehicles carrying food grains.

“We have observed that large-scale pilferage takes place in food grains that come to the state... To check this, we will install GPS trackers on all such vehicles,” he said.

Under the modernisation programme, he said “end-to-end computerisation of public distribution system, digitalisation of data, computerisation of supply demand and management, setting up of transparency portal” is being undertaken.

He said the government also intends to introduce smart card service for consumers, electronic weighing machines and electronic transfer of money in the accounts of dealers to improve the system.

“I can assure the House that from April 1 this year, all the stores will have modern electronic weighing scales and we will get rid of the traditional weighing balances,” he said.

To overcome the shortage of ration, he said the government is making efforts to provide ration to the consumers as per the 2011 Census, and the Chief Minister has already taken up the issue with the Centre.

At present, ration is provided to the consumers as per the 2001 Census, which is not adequate, the minister said.

With a view to safeguard the interest of consumers, the Minister said the government would focus on proper implementation of the Consumer Protection Act, 1987.

“The steps we will take would include strengthening of the district and divisional consumer forums, constitution of state level consumer protection council, introduction of hoarding and profiteering act, regular market checking by the Enforcement Wing and Legal Meteorology, and establishment of laboratories for testing food grains,” he said.

Giving details about the activities of the department, he said presently the department has 5,990 sale outlets, including 3,587 fair price shops across the state.

“Under the Antyodaya scheme, 2.56 lakh poor and BPL families have been covered, under above poverty line category 12.36 lakh families are covered and they are provided 35 kg rice at Rs 10 per kg and wheat at Rs 7.25 per kg. Under Annapurna scheme, 10,220 persons above the age of 65 years are provided free rice at 10 Kg per person,” he said.

In order to expand the network of PDS outlets, the Minister said as per the 2011 Census, the government requires 3,102 new ration Depots.

To streamline the LPG supply, the Minister said that 132 new locations have been identified for setting up LPG outlets, out of which 36 have been established.

Earlier, the Minister moved a demand for grant of a sum of Rs 99,401.62 lakh to defray the charges which will come in the course of payment during the year ending March 31, 2016 for the departments under his charge. — PTI