BOMDILA, Aug 19: West Kameng Deputy Commissioner Dr Dilip Kumar reviewed the progress of e-KYC under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, at a meeting held at the DC’s Conference Hall here on Wednesday.
The meeting, which covered Fair Price Shops (FPSs) across West Kameng and Bichom districts, focused on expediting the mandatory e-KYC process for NFSA beneficiaries. It was informed that the district had achieved 56 per cent e-KYC coverage as of August 19, according to data available on the ePOS portal.
The Deputy Commissioner stressed the need for coordinated efforts by officials and FPS owners to improve the district’s performance and ensure that all eligible beneficiaries complete the process within the stipulated timeframe.
The District Food and Civil Supplies Officer (DF&CSO) briefed the meeting on the importance of e-KYC and presented circle-wise progress. FPS owners from different parts of the district also shared updates and field-level challenges.
A major issue highlighted was the non-availability of Aadhaar cards among some villagers, particularly elderly beneficiaries. In response, the DC said targeted Aadhaar enrolment and integration drives would be undertaken and urged FPS owners to sensitise beneficiaries about the importance of Aadhaar for accessing Govt welfare schemes.
FPS owners also reported difficulties in biometric authentication, particularly among beneficiaries engaged in agricultural work whose fingerprints have become rough or scarred. The DC directed FPS owners to keep water and handwash available at FPS outlets to facilitate successful fingerprint authentication.
Discrepancies between data displayed on ePOS machines and the SmartPDS portal were also discussed. Officials informed that the National Informatics Centre (NIC) was working to resolve the technical issues.
The meeting further discussed concerns over non-allocation of food grains against revised feeding strengths reflected on the SmartPDS portal, as well as issues relating to BPL ration cards and newly approved beneficiary families who were yet to receive their ration cards.
The DC directed FPS owners to intensify awareness among beneficiaries and ensure that ration card holders complete their e-KYC at the earliest. He also stated that necessary action may be taken against beneficiaries who fail to complete the mandatory process within the stipulated period.
As an incentive for timely completion, the DC announced that a certificate of appreciation would be presented on Republic Day 2027 to the first FPS owner to achieve 100 per cent e-KYC coverage.
The meeting concluded with officials and FPS owners reaffirming their commitment to accelerating the e-KYC exercise and ensuring coverage of all eligible beneficiaries under the NFSA. (DIPRO)