Mizoram to GPS-track rice trucks, link ePoS with weighing scales to plug leakage in ration shops

Mizoram to GPS-track rice trucks, link ePoS with weighing scales to plug leakage in ration shops

Aizawl, Mizoram will make GPS tracking mandatory for trucks transporting rice and link fair price shop retailers' electronic point-of-sale machines with digital weighing scales to plug leakage and ensure beneficiaries receive their full entitlement, state minister B Lalchhanzova said on Thursday.

The food, civil supplies and consumer affairs minister told reporters that rice-carrying trucks would have to install AIS-140-compliant GPS devices to facilitate monitoring of their movement from the department's command and control room.

Vehicles without the tracking devices would not be allowed to transport ration rice, he said.

As an interim measure during the transition period, transporters would be allowed to use a mobile app-based tracking system developed jointly by the Centre and the World Food Programme, before shifting to the mandatory GPS devices, he said.

The system is expected to become fully operational by the end of December, the minister said.

Lalchhanzova also said that all ePoS machines would be integrated with digital weighing scales at fair price shops to prevent diversion and ensure that the quantity entered into the system matches the actual quantity handed over to beneficiaries, preventing under-weighing and transactions being recorded against beneficiaries who did not collect their ration.

Training for retailers has been completed for the November distribution cycle, though 263 retailers facing internet connectivity problems or equipment-related issues have been allowed to continue distribution under the existing system, he said.

The minister also announced higher margins for ration retailers and increased transportation rates.

The margin for Antyodaya Anna Yojana and Priority Household beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act has been raised to ₹3 per kg, while the rates for PHH , Non-NFSA and Mizoram State Special Ration Package categories have been fixed at ₹2 per kg from October, he said.

The town-trip transportation rate for retailers has also been increased from ₹50 to ₹75 per quintal.

Lalchhanzova said the entire supply chain would be digitised through three systems Supply Chain Management System, Route Optimisation Tool and Vehicle Location Tracking System to monitor rice movement from godown to godown and from godown to retailer.

Route Optimisation Tool will identify shorter transport routes, while Vehicle Location Tracking System will provide live tracking of trucks, he said.

According to the minister, Mizoram requires around 91,000 quintals of rice every month for ration distribution. Of this, 54,798.33 quintals are supplied free of cost by the Food Corporation of India under the NFSA, while the state procures around 36,000 quintals from the open market, he said.

The state is also set to reduce its open-market procurement this financial year.

Procurement in 2026-27 is expected to be around 3,34,114 quintals, a reduction of 1,45,374 quintals against 4,79,488 quintals procured in 2025-26, he said, adding that the reduction is expected to save the state around ₹52.19 crore.

Lalchhanzova said that adequate rice stocks are being maintained, with December's NFSA requirement currently being lifted from seven FCI depots. A tentative monsoon stock plan covering 66 centres has also been prepared for 2027-28, he said.

Mizoram has 1,266 fair price shops and 2,96,051 ration cards covering a population of 11,78,801, according to the department.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.