Defer use of biometric machines for PDS ration: Depot holders

Our Correspondent

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Nurpur, May 2

The Himachal Pradesh State Depots’ Association has urged the state government to defer the use of biometric machines for the distribution of ration to card holders in all government fair price shops in the state immediately.

Association’s state spokesperson Sudarshan Sharma said yesterday that these machines posed the risk of the spread of Covid among the ration card holders as well as the depot holders. He added that in view of the rise in Covid cases, the card holders were also hesitating from using the machines to avail of the ration from the fair price shops.

He said the families of 5,000 depot holders and 18.50 lakh consumers were under the constant threat of contracting Covid while using these biometric machines at the depots. He added that three depot holders in Nurpur had tested positive for Covid and are in home isolation. “Nirjanjan Singh, a depot holder at Sukhar in Nurpur, died of coronavirus last year but his family got no financial relief from the government even though he was declared a Corona warrior,” he lamented.

Sharma said that the depot holders were supporting the government in the current crisis but opposed the use of biometric machines in larger public interest.

He appealed to the Chief Minister to direct the authorities concerned to stop the use biometric machines for the time being.