Fair Price shops to have upgraded ePoS machines

Fair Price shops to have upgraded ePoS machines
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Highlights

Following reports of technical glitches in implementing ePoS machines in 1,545 Fair Price (FP) shops in the city, the Department of Civil Supplies has speeded up the process of upgrading the technology with IRIS (Intelligent Retinal Imaging Systems) scanner. Currently being run as a pilot project in 40 shops in Mahbubnagar district, the upgraded models will be available across 15, 606 outlets in

Hyderabad: Following reports of technical glitches in implementing ePoS machines in 1,545 Fair Price (FP) shops in the city, the Department of Civil Supplies has speeded up the process of upgrading the technology with IRIS (Intelligent Retinal Imaging Systems) scanner. Currently being run as a pilot project in 40 shops in Mahbubnagar district, the upgraded models will be available across 15, 606 outlets in Telangana by next month.

Enabled with GPS tracking system to curb any misuse of machines, these machines will not only recognise finger impressions of the beneficiaries, but will also recognise the ‘eye retina’ of an individual recipient of commodity through PDS (Public Distribution System).

The latest upgraded models will also support electronic weighing machines, swiping Aadhaar Enabled System (AEPAS) and audio/voice features. For conducting banking operations through Fair Price shops, micro ATMs would be positioned suitably and the dealer of FPS would work as ‘business correspondent’, in addition to his existing PDS responsibilities.

According to official sources, in the existing biometric devices, often problems are cropping up whenever the finger prints are hazy. So to get over it, IRIS is being introduced and similarly voice over system would be of much help to the rural folk and particularly for the illiterate.

Software is also being developed to take rationed stocks through bank account of the cardholders. With the introduction of ePoS in all the 15,606 FPSs, every year approximately 15-20 percent would be saved to the exchequer, which means an amount of Rs 750-800 crore, said a higher official.

Oyasis Cybernet Private Limited, Chennai, has been identified as system integrator through tender system for supply and maintenance of ePoS devices. It was decided to install ePoS devices in all 15,606 FPSs in the State in three phases and complete the entire process by the end of June.

To start with, upgraded ePoS devices were installed in 40 FPSs in Mahbubnagar district on an experimental basis and after seeing the performance, the same will be extended to all the remaining districts. After installation Aadhaar enabled ePoS devices, digital payments will be made in 13,002 rural FPSs and 4,157 urban FPSs.

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