Technology helps prevent irregularities: Anand

Commissioner for Civil Supplies C.V. Anand said that the introduction of technology and reforms in Civil Supplies Department yielded good results. 

“IT helped in bringing transparency, accountability and quick results in department. Telangana Civil Supplies is achieving best results by using technology in every essential aspect. We have succeeded in putting breaks irregular activities and also we have made Civil Supplies much more reachable to the common man,” he said while addressing a two day conference on 21st National e-Governance which began here on Monday. On the second day of the conference on Tuesday, a PowerPoint presentation on various measures and reforms taken for strengthening Civil Supplies in Telangana was given by Commissioner C.V. Anand.

He said that the Central Government is supplying 5 Kgs of rice for Rs. 3 to every National Food Security card holder, whereas Telangana Government is giving 6 Kgs at Rs. 1 to every individual in the family. 2.75 crores are benefitted across the state. Online Procurement Management System (OPMS) online purchase and payment was made to farmers directly without any involvement of middlemen. 2016 Khariff and 2017 Rabi and Khariff season 15 lack farmers were paid Rs. 11,000 crores directly to their accounts. This policy is been adopted by other states also, he informed. 

By computerization, every move right from supply to distribution, Epos machines in ration shops, electronic weighing machines, GPS to transport vehicles, CC cameras at godowns helped in supply of essential commodities to eligible beneficiaries and misleading of the goods is removed. This all activities are been viewed live at Command Control Centre established at Civil Supplies Bhavan, Hyderabad. In short span of time in all the district Civil Supplies officers Command Control Centers will be installed, he said. 

Anand said with the introduction of Epos system in Ration shops, 12 to 15 % of balance rice is shown every month. Ration Portability (Ration from anywhere) is successfully running. SMS is sent to the beneficiaries as soon as the stock is arrived to ration shop from godowns. 

T-Ration Mobile App helps even common man to view live transactions in PDS and Civil Supplies officials also perform their daily services with the help of 13 government services applications in T-Ration App. 

e-POS deployed in all ration shops

The electronic point of sale (e-PoS) project of the Civil Supplies Department to supply rice under public distribution system at fair price shops became fully operational across Telangana on Thursday with the installation of state-of-the-art Android machines linked to weighing machines that were run by bluetooth.
Barring 212 shops in interior areas of Asifabad and Adilabad districts that had connectivity problems, the e-PoS was completed in all the 17,000 shops of the State, said Civil Supplies Commissioner C.V. Anand.
He told a press conference on Thursday that the project took off on a pilot basis in March 2016 in 1,540 shops of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation limits on the standard Linux machines.
Android machines
Then, the Android machines on rent of ₹ 1,499 per month per device were introduced in 800 shops in Mahbubnagar in April last year. In the next 10 months, they were extended to all other districts in a phased manner.
Explaining the features of the project, Mr. Anand said the machines greatly resolved malpractices by shop dealers.
The fingerprints of both dealers and customers were saved in the machines. The Aadhaar details of customers were also linked to the machines for Aadhaar enabled payment systems and delivery of ration to any of the member of the beneficiary families.
Great savings
The introduction of machines had saved 2.15 lakh tonnes of rice worth ₹ 578.91 crore from misuse as the dealers were forced to record closing balances. On an average, about 20,000 tonnes of rice was saved monthly. Otherwise, they used to show nil closing balance and sell the stock in black market.

C.V.Anand met Hon'ble Governor ESL Narasimhan

C.V.Anand on Central Deputation

Civil Supplies Commissioner C.V. Anand who was credited with streamlining the functioning of the department after he joined from the police has been appointed as Inspector General in Central Industrial Security Force on deputation basis.

Re-checking of food security card applications

The Telangana Civil Services Department will embark on a physical verification of over 1.25 lakh food security card applications it has received. The move is expected to weed out several dubious applications.

According to officials, the department received as many as 2.2 lakh applications last nine months. While about a lakh applications had been scrutinised, the deluge of applications had raised suspicion which is why a thorough re-verification will be done.

“Prima facie checks have been done. But now, we have decided to do more stringent checking of the applications as we believe several bogus applications have come. This will include a re-checking of all eligibility criteria such as income and other parameters,” Commissioner of Civil Supplies C.V. Anand said.

An on the ground physical check will be done by assistant supply officers and others. A meeting with civil supplies staff will be called to work out the details in the near future.

“A section of the card holders do not consume the goods and instead sell it off. They are encouraged by the dealers and others to indulge in these activities,” Mr. Anand said.

He maintained that pilferage had been drastically reduced after electronic point of sale machines were introduced at fair price shops. The raids by the department’s enforcement teams had seized rice after the sale was made to beneficiaries. 

Civil Supplies enforcement teams prevent ₹500-cr. misuse

The enforcement wing set up in the Civil Supplies Department to check diversion of commodities in the public distribution system (PDS), mainly rice, and other irregularities has acted as a deterrent and prevented the misuse to the tune of ₹500 crore.

Commissioner of Civil Supplies C.V. Anand, who reviewed the performance of the enforcement wing here on Sunday, said the ‘experiment’ was initiated on February 1 last year with five teams comprising retired officials from the police, revenue, commercial taxes and other departments to check irregularities in processing, transportation and quality norms. The new initiative had prevented diversion of rice to the black market and saved ₹500 crore to the exchequer.

“It has also helped in curbing corruption, pilferages and malpractices to a large extent in the supply of essential commodities including rice”, Mr. Anand said adding that the expenditure on the team of officers selected “taking into consideration their employment history, honesty, commitment and hard work” was mere ₹1.25 crore for the past one year.

He explained that the enforcement teams were given the responsibility of preventing illegal movement of PDS rice, check on government and private godowns, vehicle checking in two stages, changes in transactions before and after introduction of the ePOS machines, performance of GPS and supply chain management.

The teams had conducted 843 raids and special checks on mandal-level godowns, fair price shops, custom milled rice mills, institutions getting supply of super fine (‘sanna biyyam’) quality rice, LPG godowns and others during the last one year.

Stating that the inspection had resulted in booking of 165 cases under Section 6(A) of the Essential Commodities Act and 71 criminal cases, the Civil Supplies Commissioner noted that the team had also seized 12,619 quintals of PDS rice, 2,619 quintals of custom-milled rice and paddy worth ₹3.60 crore. Further, the checks had also resulted in seizure of sugar, LPG cylinders, kerosene and other commodies worth ₹3.90 lakh.

Besides, the surprise checks and inspections, helped the department detect shortage and prevented the misappropriation of paddy, sanna biyyam and PDS rice to the extent of ₹6.39 crore. With the vigil maintained by the enforcement teams the district collectors of Khamman, Nalgonda and Suryapet had registered four preventive detention cases against traders, Mr. Anand explained.

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Civil Supplies Commissioner C V Anand inspecting the quality of food being served to prisoners during a visit to the Chanchalguda central prison.