In a bid to curb corruption and irregularities in the public distribution system (PDS), fair price shops in the national capital will be linked to biometric system by early next year, work for which has begun. “The process of installing biometric system in fair price shops has started. Procedure for e-tender is underway in this regard and the project is expected to be implemented by May, 2016,” food and supplies minister Imran Hussain said. Mr Hussain, a recent inductee in the Cabinet, was replying to a question raised by AAP MLA Ajesh Yadav during the ongoing Winter Session of the Assembly. Mr Hussain also said that there was a freeze on issuing new BPL ration cards in the city as under provisions of the Food Security Act (FSA), old card holders (BPL) were being brought under the selected priority household families category (PR-S). In Delhi, PDS comprises a network of around 2,300 fair price shops, catering to nearly 19.7 lakh ration cardholders across all strata of the population. Around 73 lakh people (about 44 per cent of total population) in Delhi will be covered under the FSA.
