Ludhiana Multiple Biometric Checks Slow Wheat Distribution At Depots

Less than one-fifth of eligible ration-card holders in Ludhiana have received wheat since the distribution of foodgrains and ration kits for April, May and June began on May 25, with depot operators attributing the slow pace to a revised distribution mechanism involving multiple biometric verifications and separate monthly transaction slips.

According to official data, only 87,928 of the district’s 4.54 lakh ration-card holders had availed wheat distribution till date, accounting for 19.36% of the total eligible beneficiaries. Against an allocation of 2.58 lakh quintals of wheat, only 47,162 quintals had been distributed.

Distribution of ‘meri rasoi’ ration kits has progressed even more slowly. Of the 4.54 lakh kits allocated across the district, only 48,037 had been distributed, representing 10.58% of the total allocation.

Depot holders said the pace of distribution has slowed considerably under the revised system. Unlike previous cycles, when beneficiaries received a single slip covering multiple months, separate slips are now being generated for April, May and June, along with an additional slip for the ration kit.

They said beneficiaries are required to undergo biometric authentication for each transaction before receiving their full entitlement. As a result, a process that earlier took only a few minutes now requires nearly 20 to 25 minutes per beneficiary.

“Earlier, around 200 beneficiaries could collect wheat from a depot in a day. Now, in many cases, only about 50 are being served because each transaction takes significantly longer,” said several depot holders.

The revised procedure has also created difficulties for elderly beneficiaries and labourers whose fingerprints frequently fail during biometric authentication, necessitating repeated verification attempts and further delaying the process, depot operators claimed.

Beneficiaries are also receiving ration kits containing sugar, salt, turmeric powder and red chilli powder. Depot holders said the separate authentication process for these kits has added to transaction time and increased queues at distribution centres.District food supply controller (east) Lakhvir Singh said the revised mechanism had been introduced to enhance transparency and ensure accurate accounting of monthly entitlements. “Earlier, beneficiaries received a combined slip for multiple months. Now, separate slips are being generated for each month and for ration kits, which has increased processing time at depots.

The department is monitoring the situation and distribution is expected to pick up pace in the coming days as beneficiaries and depot holders become accustomed to the new system,” he said.

While officials maintained that the changes would strengthen transparency and record-keeping in the Public Distribution System (PDS), depot holders said procedural bottlenecks would need to be addressed to ensure timely distribution of foodgrains and ration kits to more than 4.5 lakh beneficiaries across the district.