To tighten the noose around unscrupulous transporters indulging in diverting public distribution system (PDS) food to the open market, the Delhi government has decided to install global positioning system (GPS) in vehicles ferrying ration items such as wheat and rice.
"The GPS fitted on trucks will alert us whenever the drivers stray from their defined routes in a bid to sell off the ration items," an official told PTI in New Delhi.
The move, if successful, will help authorities in tying the loose ends in the PDS where transporters/contractors in collusion with shopkeepers and food officials have been eating away major portions of ration food by smuggling them into the open market.
Explaining the truckers' modus operandi, the official said that after lifting the wheat or rice from godowns of Food Corporation of India located at six places across the city, the drivers do not deliver the stock to the ration shops for public distribution.
"Instead they take the specified food articles (SFAs) for storing in the private godowns and from there they divert the items either to the open market or the flour mills," the official said.
He said services of at least 100 trucks were being availed for loading and off-loading ration foods daily in the city.
As per proposal approved by the Centre, the DSCFC will monitor vehicles loaded with the food items as the GPS will help in tracking down movement of the vehicles with the help of the city map containing complete data on streets on the computer.
"The device can identify in which area the truck is moving and if it is found moving or stuck at one place, the instrument will alert us immediately to take action," the official added.
The government has also plans to introduce 'SMS alert system' wherein the drivers of the trucks will be asked to send a message immediately to authorities about their locations--from the point of lifting to the distribution end.
Induction of GPS and 'SMS alert' are part of the government's effort to streamline PDS, currently plagued by rampant corruption, through use of modern technology, after it successfully weeded out bogus cards and checked kerosene diversion with the aid of software.
Last year, a Supreme Court monitoring committee while identifying at least four instances of illegal ration food diversion had suggested use of modern technology to curb malpractices and ensure transparency in the PDS meant to increase the standard of living of the poor, who were severely hit by inflation.
