New e-POS update slows down PDS rice supply, beneficiaries face long queues

A ration dealer told Telangana Today that despite having the entire month to collect rice, many beneficiaries are rushing to the shops fearing a potential shortage.

Karimnagar: A recent change in the e-POS application is delaying the distribution of rice to ration cardholders, forcing beneficiaries to wait for hours at public distribution system (PDS) shops across the district.

Under the existing scheme, six kilograms of rice is being provided free of cost per person, with contributions from both the State and Central governments. Earlier, the entire rice quota would be approved in one go once the cardholder’s details were uploaded into the e-POS machine.

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However, due to recent changes in the e-POS application, the State and Central quotas are now being approved separately. This has significantly slowed down the process. Ration dealers must now upload details separately for each quota, requiring two separate approvals per family.

For instance, a family of four, entitled to 24 kg of rice, earlier received the entire quantity in a single transaction. Now, with the State and Central quotas being processed separately, 20 kg and 4 kg are processed separately. As a result, cardholders are required to provide thumb impressions twice for one month’s quota.

Since the distribution this month includes a three-month advance quota, the details of each beneficiary must be uploaded separately for each month, totalling six times, and thumb impressions must be provided for each transaction. This repetitive process is leading to major delays. To make matters worse, server issues are compounding the problem, resulting in long queues and frustration among cardholders.

A ration dealer told Telangana Today that despite having the entire month to collect rice, many beneficiaries are rushing to the shops fearing a potential shortage.

“Most of them are unaware that they can collect their quota in parts at any time during the month. This panic is creating unnecessary crowding and pressure on the system,” he said.