Smart cards stuck as 80,000 yet to submit photos

Distribution of smart ration cards to some seven lakh consumers in the district has been held over because the family heads have not submitted their photograph. According to the civil supplies and consumer protection department, about 80,000 consumers are yet to submit it.Trichy district has 7,61,635 consumers in the public distribution system (PDS) out of which smart cards were ready for about 6.8 lakh. However, they could not be issued the smart cards without feeding the required information in the system. 

An official said the photographs of family heads of around 80,000 consumers were not updated which has held up the process of smart card to all consumers. "Despite repeated reminders through phone by the ration shopkeepers, such a huge number of consumers is yet to submit photos," said the official.A source said that the introduction of smart card would weed out bogus cards in the district thus considerably reducing the volume of commodities and saving public money. The officials said that if the smart cards were issued to all eligible consumers, they could arrive at the actual figures of the commodities required. 

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/trichy/smart-cards-stuck-as-80000-yet-to-submit-photos/articleshow/59718420.cms