Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (ANK)
Mangaluru, Aug 18: Minister for food and civil supplies U T Khader on Friday August 18 said that strict action would be taken against shops that are found to be using non-approved and non-standard weighing scales from China to weigh food supplies.
Addressing a press meet here, Khader said, "Raids were conducted on shops in 394 places across the state by the officials of food, civil supplies and consumer affairs department, and of the department of legal metrology, during which 71 cases were booked against shops for using non-standard and non-approved weighing machines. Stringent action will be taken even if just the package of the weighing scale comes from China without approval, and violators will be booked under the Legal Metrology Act so that customers do not get cheated."
"Weighing scales made in China are non-standard and non-approved, and do not bear ISI mark of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). In Bengaluru urban, 61 shops were raided and 31 cases were booked, in Bengaluru rural 1 case was booked and 58 shops were raided. In Mysuru division, 108 shops were raided and 24 cases booked, in Belagavi 15 cases were booked and 134 shops raided, and in Kalaburagi one case was booked," he said.
Ration card verification
U T Khader further said, that 8.25 lac ration cards have been checklisted in the state, out of which 2.25 lac ration cards have been verified. In Mangaluru, 10,000 cards have been checklisted and 7,000 cards have been verified, out of which 1,850 cards are already in print.
PoS to be installed
He also said that point of sale (PoS) machines will soon be installed in all the public distribution system shops. "This system will help us collect data of ration distribution of the consumers. People criticize that ration shops are not regularly open but this method will force shopkeepers to disburse ration by the end of month or else the remaining stock will be carried forward. Out of 24,440 shops, nearly 10,000 have been installed with the machines so far."