Surveillance on Benami Ration Dealers Special Enforcement Teams Drive for Elimination Commissioner of Civil Supplies Sri C.V.Anand

After introducing reforms in almost all aspects of functioning, right from rice millers, milling units, transportation, storage, etc., the Civil Supplies Department has now embarked on the vital area of reform in the FP shops. Civil Supplies Department is keeping surveillance on benami ration dealers to check black marketing in public distribution scheme. Department started to identify benami dealers in Greater Hyderabad zone. For many years business is conducted by unauthorized dealers having license on others title, regularity and transparency is missing in public distribution. Efforts are taken to make cashless transactions in all FP shops.  Civil Supplies Commissioner Sri C.V. Anand said special drive is been taken check and eliminate benami dealers.

Commissioner held meeting on Thursday in Civil Supplies Bhavan with DCSOs, ACSOs, Civil Supplies Enforcement officials of Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy, Medchal districts in Greater Hyderabad zone to review performance of ration shops.

As directions given by Chief Minister Sri K. Chandrashekar Rao measures are taken to see that commodities reach the needy and eligible sections of the society through Fair Price shops. Firstly, special drive is conducted to inspect and eliminate benami ration dealers. Officials recognized that some FP shops are in hands of benamis and some are running in the hands of unauthorized people who

are not at all related to the license on which FP shop is given. It has come to notice that some dealers possess five to twenty shops in their hands. By introducing ePOS system in Greater Hyderabad department managed to save upto Rs. 280 Crores. Still, some benami dealers are continuing their business. Commissioner instructed officials to use technology and conduct ground level raids to spot these benamis.

Five teams from Civil Supplies Enforcement and Taskforce have been given charges to conduct inspections. The teams keeping vigilance are: Sampath Kumar Team - Saroornagar, Balanagar, Uppal, Mehedipatnam; Viswanatham Team – Malakpet, Yakatpura; Diwakar Team – Charminar, Nampally; Rajesham Team – Amberpet, Khairatabad; Nagorao Team – Secunderabad Station, Begumpet circles.

Officials spotted that 179 shops out of 1545 in Greater Hyderabad are not performing either due to some 6A cases, death of dealer or in leave. Transferring dealership to another dealer is creating difficulties to the beneficiaries. Instructions to be passed to all the FP shops dealers to conduct business as per allotted time. Commissioner passed orders to officials that steps should be taken to rationalize all the cards in ration shops and notices should be issued to the dealers who are on long leave. Ration cards to be cancelled if beneficiary is not taking commodities from past six month. Commissioner issued action plan to eliminate Benami Dealers.

All FP shops should be inspected by concerned Area Inspectors of all ACSO Circle offices and the Inspector should verify FP Shop Form B License which was issued to the authorized dealer and to verify whether he/she is conducting the FP shop business. Latter, the officials of DCSO office will cross check the authorizations issued to dealers, which were with the DCSO office. This work will be completed within ten days positively.

In Hyderabad 75% of data entry of FP shop dealers in ePDS website have been completed. While mapping the data of FP shop family members i.e., nominee I and II, the relationship should be displayed on the screen in ePDS viz., spouse, son, unmarried daughter (does not include divorcee. To produce divorce certificate), as the said option should be provided in ePDS website.

The provision of authentication to inspector should be provided in ePOS machines, so that the inspector should authenticate on every visit to FP shop without fail and inspector authentication daily report of FP shop wise with time should be provided in ePDS website. Besides, in the ePOS machine an option has to be provided for authentication by the inspector whether the authorized dealer is conducting the business or not.

It is observed that in Hyderabad district, the dealers are logging in ePOS machine at 8.00 AM morning and the same is conducting till evening i.e., 8.00 PM. But, as per schedule timings, FPS will function from 8.00 AM to 12.00 PM and will reopen at 4.00 PM to 8.00 PM. As such, only morning logging report is only showing in the ePOS, but not the multiple login doing by the authorized dealer. In this regard, it is desirable that the ePOS machine automatically logout as per the schedule timings i.e., as at 12.00 PM to 4.00PM and at

closing time, 8.00 PM.

Apart from this GPS tracking system should be enabled in ePOS devise whether the authorized dealer is authenticating the ePOS machine from Fair Price shop or not as it is mandatory.

On entering the Aadhaar numbers in the ePDS website actual names of the FP shop dealers/spouses should be viewed / displayed. By providing this facility in ePOS and ePDS website the unauthorized persons who are conducting the Fair Price shops so far will come into light.

After all these Fair price shop reforms, introduction of ePOS, Hon’ble Chief Minister of  Telangana state will consider sanction of the ePOS Commission and NFSA Commission.

-Press note