By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The Centre is yet to release the fund which has been sanctioned for the proposed computerization of the Public Distribution System (PDS) in the State.
The Centre had sanctioned a total amount of Rs 43 crores last year for the purpose. “We are still waiting for the Centre to release the funds. It would difficult to say when we are going to receive the funds,” a senior official in the PDS department said here on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the senior Government official informed that a meeting was convened in this connection at New Delhi in November last year.
“We were expecting the funds to be released by the end of last year. We hope that the funds will be released within this fiscal year,” a senior government official added.
Meanwhile, it is learnt that the department at the moment is trying to digitalize the datas of the PDS consumers.
Official sources however informed that one of the major components of this computerization is to set up of the control rooms to closely monitor the stock in the Food Corporation of India (FCI) godowns even as the amount of which are being lifted by the wholesalers lifting the items.
“We would also be close monitoring the stocks which are being lifted by the Fair Price Shops and subsequently delivered to the beneficiaries through the digitalised network,” official sources said.
Food and Civil Supplies is also hopeful that with this new computerised system there would be limited scope to commit any malpractices in the PDS.
While ruling out the possibilities of diversion of the PDS items once the system is in place, official sources also said, “The beneficiaries would also largely benefit once the computerisation system comes into effect,” Earlier, it was reported that the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has taken a keen interest in the computerisation process of PDS system across the country and is taking day to day stock of the progress made by each state and Union Territory in this regard.
The Supreme Court had also directed the various State Governments to closely work with the centre in computerising the PDS to help reduce diversion of food grain.