Tiruchi district has won the platinum award under the Tamil Nadu e-PDS (Public Distribution System) for the month of June among 13 districts where the initiative is being implemented in the State in the first phase.
The award is given based on an assessment of various criteria in the implementation of the e-PDS. End-to-end computerisation of PDS is being undertaken in the 13 districts. In Tiruchi district, the PDS operation is fully computerised and paperless operation is being carried out in 11 taluks covering all 1,210 ration shops.
Point of Sale (POS) devices have been installed at all ration shops. Along with the card details, the mobile phone and Aadhaar numbers are entered under the computerised system.
Aadhaar numbers are collected for the issuance of Smart Cards in future. After the registration process is completed, all ration shops use the POS devices for billing. Beneficiaries receive SMS in their registered mobile number once commodities are billed.
The Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Department has taken up an evaluation of the new system in the districts and measure their performance.
The district which performs consistently well throughout a month is awarded with a certificate of appreciation. The evaluation is based on various parameters including registration of ration cards, mobile and Aadhaar numbers, accuracy of data, sales transactions, goods movement and acknowledgement online.
Points are awarded on the basis of the parameters for all 11,315 shops in the 13 districts and best district, best taluk within a district and top 3 shops of each district are chosen through a transparent daily performance assessment mechanism, according to a press release.
