Focus on winter stocking, CBDC rollout, facial authentication and timely grievance redressal
Srinagar :Commissioner Secretary, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA), Saurabh Bhagat, on Wednesday reviewed the functioning of the department in Kashmir and issued a series of directions to strengthen the distribution of essential commodities, ensure transparency in beneficiary identification and improve public service delivery.
During his visit to the Directorate of FCS&CA Kashmir at Shaheed Gunj, Srinagar, Bhagat chaired a review meeting attended by Deputy Commissioners of Kashmir Division, Assistant Directors FCS&CA and representatives of the National Informatics Centre (NIC), UIDAI, Food Corporation of India (FCI), JKRTC and Punjab National Bank.
Director FCS&CA Kashmir Nazim Zai Khan, Joint Director, Financial Advisor and Deputy Director were also present, while Deputy Commissioners and Assistant Directors participated virtually.
A major focus of the meeting was winter preparedness, with the Commissioner Secretary directing the concerned officers to ensure adequate stocking and advance dumping of essential commodities at winter zones, main border points and other strategic locations to prevent any disruption in supplies during the winter months.
The meeting also reviewed the implementation of Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), with Srinagar, being the pilot district, directed to complete all necessary formalities for its implementation. Other districts were asked to keep the requisite arrangements in place to facilitate an early rollout.
Emphasising transparency and accuracy in the Public Distribution System (PDS), Bhagat directed all Deputy Commissioners and Assistant Directors to ensure 100 per cent completion of e-KYC by the end of November. He underlined that the exercise was essential for authenticating beneficiaries, eliminating duplicate and ineligible entries and ensuring that subsidised food grains reach genuine beneficiaries.
The officers were asked to intensify field-level efforts, strengthen coordination with NIC and UIDAI and regularly monitor progress to ensure that no eligible beneficiary is excluded from the system.
On the issue of rightful targeting of beneficiaries, the Commissioner Secretary directed the Deputy Commissioners and Assistant Directors to complete the fresh list of suspected beneficiaries at the earliest and finalise all necessary action by the end of the month.
He also reviewed the preparedness for facial authentication and instructed all Assistant Directors to ensure that fair price dealers complete the necessary arrangements and are fully equipped for its implementation.
Stressing the importance of responsive public administration, Bhagat directed the officers to ensure that consumer grievances are addressed and disposed of within the prescribed timelines.
Earlier, the Commissioner Secretary inspected ongoing infrastructure works at the Directorate, including the construction of the new administrative block and convention centre, and reviewed the progress of the projects.
