The department of Food and Civil Supplies will use an information-technology based tool to streamline logistics operations across the State, to ensure efficient delivery of kerosene and food grain and check diversion of goods.
The tool will introduce the element of randomisation in the allotment of goods to various districts and taluks, and their transport. It will also track the tankers and trucks from their origin to destination. Officers hope that this would break the nexus between officials, transporters and dealers and reduce chances of diversion of these goods.
Improved logistics management will start with online registration of all trucks and tankers used to transport kerosene and food grain. The process has already started and will be completed in a few days, say officials. The second step will be to randomly allocate kerosene to tankers owned by private operators. The transporters will not know to which taluk they are going till their tankers are completely loaded. Drivers who arrive at the filling centre in Bengaluru, will be given chits with the address of the receiver. A global positioning system device attached to the load will track the vehicles and the personnel traveling along with them.
Minister Dinesh Gundurao has held meetings with officials and other stake holders regarding this issue and convinced them of the need to improve logistics management in the department.
"This is expected to break the establish links between vested interests among officers, transporters, dealers and outlets,’’ says Harsha Gupta, secretary, food and civil supplies. "Till now, kerosene and food grains were transported on scheduled routes through regular transporters and dealers. Decades of transport and distribution on established routes has led to links between these officials, dealers and others involved in the process. Such a nexus helped them violate rules and divert goods. We wanted to put an end to this and came up with this solution,’’ he said.
"The State spends around Rs 2,500 crore on kerosene subsidy every year. A national sample survey organisation study says that between 30-40 per cent of the kerosene remains unaccounted, either lost or diverted. This amounts to around Rs 1,000 crore. If we are able to plug such leakages, we should be saving at least 50-70 per cent of the losses,’’ Mr Gupta said. The tool developed by the department will be applied to kerosene transport and distribution in the first phase. Similarly, food grains distribution will be streamlined in coming months, according to him.
"Use of computerised logistics management is one of the several steps we are taking to make the department more transparent and efficient," the commissioner said. "We are committed to ensuring that the grains and kerosene meant for the public should reach them. We will put in place systems and processes to stop all irregularities and see that deserving beneficiaries get access to subsidized goods,’’ Mr. Gupta said.
