Software professionals roped in to resolve PDS glitches: Minister

Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Rizwan Arshad responding to questions at the meet-the-press organised by the Mysuru District Journalists Association in Mysuru on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: M.A. Sriram Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Rizwan Arshad on Wednesday said delays in biometric authentication and server-related issues in the Public Distribution System (PDS) would be resolved soon.Speaking at a meet-the-press programme organised by the Mysuru District Journalists’ Association (MDJA) here, he said the department had roped in software professionals to address the technical issues and put in place a robust system and network to prevent such problems in the future.Mr. Arshad said the glitches were reported after ration for two months was distributed at a stretch, following the Centre’s decision to supply foodgrains for two months at one go.The problem was more pronounced at fair price shops catering to a large number of ration card holders, while outlets with fewer beneficiaries had not faced as many difficulties, he said.A third-party audit of the system was also under way, and experts would recommend measures to streamline the system and prevent the recurrence of such technical glitches, he added.Explaining another reason for the server and biometric issues, the Minister said some fair price shops were using mobile hotspots for network connectivity. Incoming calls could disrupt the connection, resulting in delays in transactions.To address this, the department was introducing the e-PoS SIM card system, under which fair price shops would be provided dedicated SIM cards offering broadband-speed connectivity. This would minimise network disruptions and ensure smoother operations, he said. Published - September 02, 2026 08:04 pm IST