Tawang Deputy Commissioner Namgyal Angmo has directed all fair price shop (FPS) dealers in the district to ensure substantial improvement in eKYC completion within one week. This directive was issued during a review meeting on the status of eKYC under the smart public distribution system (smart PDS) along with a vigilance meeting of all 39 FPSs of the district.
The meeting, which was attended by the District Food & Civil Supplies Officer, officials of the Food & Civil Supplies Department, and all FPS dealers, discussed the pending eKYC cases in the district. The DC instructed the FPS dealers to undertake door-to-door follow-up wherever necessary and extend all possible assistance to beneficiaries in completing the authentication process.
SIFCS Sange Tsering presented a detailed review of the district’s eKYC progress, highlighting the achievements made so far, the remaining gap in beneficiary authentication, and the areas requiring immediate attention to achieve complete coverage. The deputy commissioner directed the SIFCS to compile and submit a detailed status report after the one-week review period.
The meeting also discussed operational challenges affecting the implementation of smart PDS, including data migration errors, difficulties in beneficiary verification, and technical limitations within the smart PDS platform. The FPS dealers shared ground-level challenges faced during the eKYC drive, including connectivity issues, authentication failures, and difficulties in reaching certain beneficiaries.
The deputy commissioner assured that all genuine concerns would be examined and addressed in coordination with the authorities concerned. She emphasized the importance of timely submission of FPS margin bills by all dealers, effective functioning of the district grievance redressal mechanism, and the need to address the shortage of data entry operators.
The deputy commissioner reiterated that successful completion of eKYC is essential to ensure that food grains and other benefits under the PDS reach only genuine beneficiaries in a transparent and efficient manner. She called upon all stakeholders to work with dedication and urgency to strengthen the district’s food security delivery mechanism and ensure effective implementation of the smart PDS.
