PDS rice distribution delayed in Karimnagar region amid tech glitches and storage issues

Public distribution of rice in the erstwhile Karimnagar district faces delays with only two days left for the June 30 deadline. Technical issues, storage constraints, and biometric requirements have slowed down the process, raising doubts about achieving full coverage.

Karimnagar: PDS rice distribution still pending in many areas of erstwhile Karimnagar

With only two days left for the deadline, the distribution of PDS (Public Distribution System) rice remains incomplete in several areas of the erstwhile Karimnagar district.

---

While around 85 percent of rice distribution has been completed in some districts, others have reached only 80 percent. Though officials are confident of achieving 100 percent coverage by the June 30 deadline, many beneficiaries remain doubtful.

The delay began after the central government decided to supply a three-month quota—June, July, and August—in June itself, citing the upcoming monsoon season.

With the state government providing fine variety rice, a large number of cardholders rushed to ration shops early, fearing that stocks might run out if delayed.

Adding to the challenges were technical issues, including problems with new e-POS (electronic Point of Sale) machines that slowed the distribution process.

Currently, six kilograms of rice are being supplied per person free of cost, with contributions from both the state and central governments.

Previously, the entire quantity of rice would be approved at once when a cardholder’s details were uploaded into the e-POS machine. However, following changes to the application this month, state and central quotas are being approved separately. This has doubled the work for ration dealers, who now must upload details and collect biometric authentication twice for each cardholder.

For instance, a four-member family is entitled to 24 kg of rice. Earlier, the system would approve the full 24 kg in a single transaction. Now, 20 kg (state quota) and 4 kg (central quota) must be approved separately, requiring the cardholder’s thumb impression twice.

Since the three-month quota is being distributed in a single month, this means cardholder details need to be uploaded six times, with thumb impressions taken six times—once for each month’s quota. This process has significantly increased the time taken per transaction.

Server issues have further aggravated delays, and space constraints at ration shops have added to the problem. While the government is ready to supply the entire three-month quota at once, many ration shops—often operating out of small rooms—lack sufficient storage space.

As a result, dealers are bringing in stock in phases based on available space. This phased supply has led to “no stock” boards appearing at some shops due to delayed deliveries from MLS (Mandala Level Stock) points.

So far, about 80 percent of rice has been distributed in Karimnagar district, 87 percent in Peddapalli, and 90 percent in Jagtial.

With the June 30 deadline fast approaching, citizens are uncertain whether full distribution will be achieved.

However, some dealers say 100 percent coverage is unlikely, as many cardholders have migrated and are collecting rice from urban locations. One dealer noted that although 600 ration cards were assigned to his shop, rice was never distributed to more than 500 cardholders, as the rest likely collected their share from where they currently reside.