Ration card: Trinamool seeks temporary suspension of biometric system

KOLKATA: The All India Fair Price Shop Dealers' Federation has been backed by two Bengal MPs, Saugata Roy and Sudip Bandyopadhay, as the duo appealed to the Union minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Piyush Goyal, to keep the biometric system of ration card authentication suspended till the pandemic ends.

Sudip Bandyopadhyay, who is the chairperson of Standing Committee on Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, has written a letter to Goyal to take appropriate measures and do the needful in this regard, endorsing the appeal of the Federation. The Federation general secretary, Biswambhar Basu, had recently written to the Union minister stating that since the process of biometric authentication involves hand-to-hand physical contact between the consumers and the dealers as it necessitates obtaining fingerprints so the process of Aadhaar seeding with ration cards may contribute to the spread of the virus. "We principally have no objection to this but we have prayed for temporary suspension of this procedure during the present pandemic with the apprehension of the third wave knocking at the doorstep,"Basu said.

MP Saugata Roy on Monday wrote to Sudhansu Pandey, the Union Secretary of the Food & Public Distribution requesting him to consider the appeal of the Federation on merits and ensure measures for suspension of biometric authentication for the sake of safety of both the consumers and the dealers.

However, Webel Technology Ltd, which has been engaged by the state Food and Supplies department, has started door-to-door visit for Aadhaar seeding of ration cards from July 1.

There have been complaints of resistance from residents of Garbeta in West Midnapore, who had refused to take part in this process, apprehending the spread of COVID. About 5.5 crore people in the state are yet to have their Aadhaar card seeding with ration cards in the state.