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Covid Surge; Suspend biometric system for ration: Consumers to FCS & CA

YB WEB DESK. Dated: 1/21/2022 2:17:09 PM

YB News Srinagar, Jan 20 Despite the spike in COVID-19 positive cases in J&K, The Food Civil Supplies and Consumers Affairs (FCS&CA) Department has no plans to suspend the biometric finger press to get ration from the ration stores. The decision of FCS & CA in Kashmir Valley to continue with biometric authentication for the public distribution system (PDS) in all districts have created fear among employees as well as common people. As per the current policy, all the ration cardholders have to authenticate their credentials on one digital machine. The department is releasing ration through biometric finger press in various areas declared micro-containment zones by the concerned district administration. Amid this, the ration depots of the FCS&CA Department continue to be thronged by people and could turn into a major source of infection. The consumers said that given the surge in COVID-19 positive cases, the department should release the ration without making biometric finger press compulsory. An employee wishing not to be named said when everyone says no to the biometric authentication system to prevent Coronavirus, the situation for officials in Kashmir, particularly in the Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs is altogether different. “There are so many people mostly ignorant of Covid-19 infection who don’t make use of sanitizers during the process of biometric authentication at points of sale. This is a serious concern and keeping the alarming situation in view this biometric authentication should be suspended,” he said. Meanwhile, People urged the administration to suspend biometric authentication as a precautionary measure to prevent possibility of spread of Covid infection which can easily spread through touch of objects like bio-metric machines.