Glitch in e-PoS machines

Visakhapatnam: Due to technical snags in e-PoS machines, white ration card holders are wasting their time at the fair price shops for their share of essential commodities and Chandranna Sankranti Kanuka. However, they are back to homes with empty hands expressing their dissent over the lapses in e-PoS machines.

The government recently upgraded the e-PoS machines from 4.3 to 4.7 version. Later, the e-PoS machines are not reading the thumb impressions of the beneficiaries. The people are gearing up to celebrate the Sankranti festival and rushing to the fair price shops for the commodities and the Chief Minister’s Pongal gift.

Ahead of Sankranti, the government is now supplying half kg sugar which was stopped a few months ago. Meanwhile, Chandranna Sankranti Kanuka comprising half kg cranberry dal, peanut dal, jaggery, palm oil, one kilo flour and 100 grams ghee.

There are 2,109 fair price shops in the district and supplying subsidy commodities to 12,19,084 white card holders. The white card holders should register their thumb impression twice to receive monthly quota and free Sankranti Kanuka.

However, e-PoS machines are not recognising the thumb impression of the beneficiaries. With this over 50 per cent of the beneficiaries have not received their share of commodities so far. Out of 12,19,084 beneficiaries, 6.25 lakh only received the commodities and Sankranti Kanuka till date. 

The dealers are saying that the e-PoS machines are failing to recognise the thumb impression of the beneficiaries after upgrading with latest version in November. 

The daily labourers are wasting almost a day in the queues at the shops. “The machine failed to recognise my wife’s thumb impression after many attempts on Monday and he again rushed to the shop on Tuesday also. I lost my one-day wage,” lamented Govind Rajulu, a painter in Malkapuram area.

By Phani Suni