The Karnataka State Government PDS Distributors’ and Employees’ Association, Mangaluru division, has urged the state government to instal Point-of-Sale (PoS) machines in all fair price shops across the state at its own expense.
The government should bear the expense of getting network connections, repair and other services for installing the machines. “We do not have any objection to installing the PoS machines if the government is supplying them,” said Keshavamurthy, the president of the association.
Speaking to journalists here on Tuesday, he said PDS shop owners had been instructed to instal the machines at their own expense. A machine costs between Rs 15,000 and Rs 20,000, he said.
Stating that the government has failed to address the grievances of fair price shop owners, Keshavamurthy said they had not received the commission for the last two months for supplying foodgrain to beneficiaries. “In such a situation, how can we run the business and instal PoS machines, which will be an additional burden,” he asked.
He cited the recent notification of the Department of Food and Civil Supplies that states that shop owners who have installed PoS machines would get an additional commission of Rs 17. “Is it fair,” he asked.
Keshavamurthy also criticised the mandatory requirement for the shop owner’s thumb impression to use the machine. This means, he said, the owner has to be at the shop throughout the day. The government should allow other staff to use their thumb impression for operating the machine, he said.
Even buyers have to give their thumb impression on the machine which then verifies the biometric details of the ration card holder before generating the bill. If it fails to authenticate the details, then rations cannot be supplied to the card holder, he noted. Moreover, PoS machines and the computer need uninterrupted power supply, which would be another problem during the monsoon. He said the old system was better and hassle-free.
Rising costs
Stating that running fair price shops has become financially unviable, Shivaram Malli, the president of Fair Price Shop Owners’ Association, Mangaluru taluk, said shop owners were considering surrendering their licences.
In Mangaluru city, nine fair price shop owners have already surrendered their licenses because of operational difficulties. More shop owners have also applied for the same, he said.
He said fair price shops functioned as an important link in effective implementation of the public distribution system but running them has become financially unviable because of higher shop rentals and increasing overheads.
Malli said wages for unloading the foodgrain and transport costs have to be paid by fair price shop owners. Though the government promised to reimburse the money directly into their bank accounts, the amount has not been credited for the last two months. He requested the government to take a humanitarian and practical view of the situation by taking into consideration the increasing cost of running fair price shops and supply them PoS machines for free.
Published 09 May 2017, 18:20 IST