Kolkata: The Food and Supplies Department has ordered special or verification inspections to ensure uniform and comprehensive coverage of all distributors under the public distribution system (PDS) and to assess the quality of routine inspections conducted by field officers.
District Rationing Officers (DDRs), Joint Directors of Rationing (JDRs) and District Controllers of Food and Supplies (DCFSs) have been directed to constitute special inspection teams comprising two to three inspectorate staff members, headed by the Sub-Divisional Controllers or Rationing Officers of the same jurisdiction. These teams will carry out special or verification inspections in addition to regular checks.
According to the department, the special drives are aimed at ensuring effective, accountable and transparent functioning of the PDS, including supply chain management and storage. The department noted that the frequency of regular inspections has been inadequate over the past few months. With a new mobile application now in place, it has decided to conduct inspections of all distributors and reconcile the physical stock of foodgrains through a focused drive.
The JDRs, DDRs and DCFSs, along with Assistant Directors of Rationing (ADRs), have also been instructed to personally inspect at least 20 per cent of distributors. These inspections should preferably be carried out within seven days of inspections conducted by the special teams, to cross-verify the quality and integrity of the checks.
All special inspections are to be surprise visits, with at least two such inspections to be conducted every month by separate teams. For routine inspections as well, officials have been asked to ensure that some checks are unannounced.
The department further directed that inspections should be planned in a manner that all distributors within a jurisdiction are covered uniformly at least once every year, with no gap of more than 11 months between two successive inspections of the same distributor.
A dedicated facility has been incorporated in the Khadya Sathi mobile App to capture inspection details, figures and photographs.
All inspection reports must be uploaded through the app using the login credentials of the inspecting officer or the head of the special inspection team.