Centralised Online Real-time Electronic PDS CORE PDS, Chhattishgarh COREPDS मममम ममममम
May 24, 2015
Centralised Online Real-time Electronic PDS CORE PDS, Chhattishgarh
COREPDS मे�री� मेर्जी�
What was there before COREPDS?
Supply chain computerisation is operational since 2008 Unified Ration Card Database Automated Allotment Online, real-time inventory management at
warehouses SMS Alerts & Reports in public domain Call centre and Complaint Monitoring
System Increased Transparency ,Accountability, Efficiency
Situation before initiative
BPL beneficiary was getting her full entitlements in the system, But, still there were problems faced by beneficiary at FPS.
There were leakages/diversions in the system in case of APL food grain & Kerosene
Most common problems faced by beneficiary at FPS
FPS is not open when the beneficiary wants to take her rations, leading to additional trips.
FPS declares 'no stock' even when the FPS has sufficient stocks, leading to additional trips.
The sales person does not accord due respect to the beneficiary or sometimes misbehaves.
Most common problems faced by beneficiary at FPS (contd.)
Overcharging – The sales person charges more than what is chargeable.
Deliberate under-weighment of the commodities by sales person.
Beneficiary may need to spend at least half a day to take commodities because of long queues.
Solution to above problems
No technology can solve the above problems. But portability can solve the problems. Portability empowers beneficiary to go to an FPS giving better services, there by creating a reason for improvement in service at FPS.
Solution is the ‘Beneficiary empowerment’
Power of right to chose
Q Why your colony's provision shop-wala shall never ill-treat you?
A if he ill-treats you or hurts your ego you will stop going to the shop. Because you have freedom to chose where to purchase he will treat you well.
What COREPDS offers
The convenience that technology has given to a bank account holder to withdraw money from any ATM, is being offered to a poor BPL beneficiary in COREPDS
COREPDS Objectives
To improve Service Delivery
To reduce Diversion
To empower beneficiary
To Weed out Bad FPS
To Create Transparency
CORE PDS How it works
Every FPS has a POS device
Smart Ration card for a BPL beneficiary
Smart card has no biometrics. Uses KMS supplied by NICHQ
How it works?
Beneficiary swipes the card
Smart card is authenticated
Ration Card number is sent to central server
Food Account balances details are shown in the POS
How it works?
FPS enters commodities being issued with his card swiping
The quantities are deducted from the balances on central server and success report is given to POS for further processing
SMS is given to the registered mobile (if any) with the card with the transaction details
APL Ration Cards
They are not given smart cards.
They will register mobile numbers
They take commodities using OTP
RSBY Cards to be used as Ration cards
COREPDS is designed to use RSBY Smart cards as Ration Cards by linking URN of RSBY and Ration card number.
COREPDS Application Features
Issue PDS Commodities with SRC
This is the default method of issuing PDS commodities in COREPDS. SRC is inserted in the POS device. POS authenticates SRC and sends ration card details to server to get Food A/C balances. When balances are displayed on the screen, quantities to be issued are entered and submitted to the server. Server updates the transaction and success report is sent. Receipt is printed and given to the beneficiary along with PDS commodities.
Issue with SRC
Issue PDS Commodities without SRC
There will always be a situation where a small percentage of genuine beneficiaries do not have SRCs because either they could not take in the distribution camps or they have lost and duplicate is not yet been received. This use case is to serve these genuine beneficiaries even with the risk of a few proxy issues. These beneficiaries shall not get the advantage of portability. But can take the commodities from their linked FPS.
Issue PDS Commodities with OTP Authentication
APL Beneficiaries have been registered with their mobile numbers. These beneficiaries also can go to any FPS with their registered mobile and claim their entitlements. FPS enters their ration card number and submits to the server. Server sends OTP to the registered mobile number and food a/c balances to the POS device. Beneficiaries shares OTP with FPS which will entered in POS device authenticates OTP and sends success report for further issue of PDS commodities.
Issue PDS Commodities with SRC in Offline mode
It is true that the connectivity is good in India and increasing rapidly. But it is also fact connectivity at one place is not reliable. This use case is to continue the business in case of temporary connectivity problems at FPS. The transaction is completed offline and stored in the FPS’s Smart card as well as Beneficiary’s SRC. As soon as the connectivity is available the transaction shall be updated in the server
Issue PDS Commodities with RSBY Smart Card
Government of Chhattisgarh has decided to universalize RSBY throughout Chhattisgarh. Hence department has decided to use RSBY cards as smart ration cards. This will be the first successful experiment in the country that provides for synthesis between the efforts of the two departments of the government to provide services to common beneficiaries through the same instrument. RSBY cards can also be used for biometric authentication.
Reports on POS device
Daily Transactions
Stock Position
Balance Query of Beneficiary
Mini Statement of a Beneficiary
RISKS, CHALLENGES & MITIGATION STRATEGY
Risk 1
Implementation of CORE PDS acts against the interest of many FPS Agencies. It is not wise to assume that FPS will sincerely try to implement CORE PDS
Mitigation Strategy
When one FPS says that the POS is not working beneficiary can go to a near by FPS. FPS that can not run COREPDS loses its business to other FPSs.
FPS automation without portability as tried in some States is difficult to sustain
Risk 2
In the initial days, all FPSs in an area can form a nexus and see that POSs do not work.
Mitigation Strategy
CGSCSC operates mobile FPS
.
Mitigation Strategy
Whenever a report is received that many FPSs are not working in one area, these trucks will be sent to that area. They serve the beneficiaries in front of the FPSs. Thus, FPSs who do run CORE PDS shall lose their business.
Risk 3
Competition does not help if everyone is bad. FPSs may intentionally do not improve their service to prove that COREPDS is a failure.
Mitigation Strategy
Good performers – NGOs, Corporates under their CSR – will be introduced
50 FPS buildings under construction, each costing 10 lakhs
They will set benchmark for service
Competition does not matter when all are bad.
NGOs, trusts and social activists may be asked to run additional FPS points (in addition to the existing) at strategic locations to introduce real competition. These shops also replenished with the PDS commodities not with the cash
- Sufficient security deposit
- Strict norms for opening timings, display board etc.
- No discrimination among beneficiaries
( Yet to be implemented)
How these new FPS improve service level?
By providing Quick service by keeping pre-weighed quantities
By using electronic weighing machines and modern measuring devices
By treating beneficiaries with dignity and respect
By providing PDS commodities after cleaning further
By offering cold water etc.
Risk 4
Distribution of smart cards could not be completed. A few people do not have smart cards
Smart cards are lost. It takes a few days to re-issue a duplicate card.
Mitigation Strategy
Issue with FPS card when Beneficiary Smart card is not available
Permanent Smart card issuing centre
Duplicate card issue commitment under citizen charter
Risk 5
Bio-metric authentication creates unnecessary harassment to 90% genuine beneficiaries to check fake issue to 10% cards
Mitigation Strategy
Bio-metric authentication is gradually introduced in CORE PDS using Aadhaar Infrastructure
Collector or his nominated person has right to exempt a beneficiary (old, handicapped etc.) from bio-metric authentication
One flag on server will decide whether Bio-metric authentication is required o not.
Risk 6
Connectivity is either not available or speed is not sufficient
Mitigation Strategy
Connectivity Survey was done. GPRS connectivity is available at all the 175 FPSs. Effective speeds vary from 20 KBPS to 70 KBPS.
Location of FPS’ in Raipur
Risk 7
Unreliable connectivity
Mitigation Strategy
COREPDS by design is an online system. But it allows a limited offline issues also in case of connectivity failure
( 3 for a beneficiary and 100 for an FPS)Offline records will be uploaded
whenever Smart card is inserted in a connected POS device or through FI module
Risk 8
Too much dependency on SI
Mitigation Strategy
NIC is developing all web services required
1st version of POS application has been developed by SI. SI handovered the source code to NIC
NIC has sufficient skill set for maintenance of POS software
Challenge 1
Maintenance of POS devices
225 POS devices for 175 FPS
Challenge 2
To train 175 FPS sales men To create necessary will to change To create necessary change To create necessary awareness among
beneficiaries Video CD with HCM’s message, Hon’ble
Minister’s message and instructions to operate POS device (under Development)
COREPDS Performance Indicators
Reduction in Fake Issues
Change in percentage of utilization of commodities at FPS, when compared to that of the same month of previous year and the average of 3 months prior to COREPDS, shall be calculated which can be used to find out the actual savings due to implementation of COREPDS.
+ve indicator
Measurement of Portability
Churning Effect The % of beneficiaries taken commodities from
other than attached FPSs in the total beneficiaries taken commodities in that month will be calculated.
+ve indicator
Measurement of Portability
Weeding Out Bad FPSs:
% of FPSs that have served less than 75% of attached beneficiaries in total number of FPS in COREPDS shall be measured. When some FPSs lose their business due to this portability then only we can conclude that beneficiaries are getting better service and bad performers are being punished.
+ve indicator
Measurement of improvement in service delivery
% of people getting all commodities at one time:It is an observation that beneficiaries have to visit multiple times to get different commodities in the present system of PDS. It is an obvious improvement in service delivery if beneficiary can get all the commodities (except Kerosene) at one time, saving in multiple trips and associated cost and time. Kerosene is neither sold nor preferred to be bought along with food grain commodities because of its smell.
+ve indicator
Annual Customer Satisfaction Survey
An Annual survey will be conducted to take feedback from at least 1% of beneficiaries in COREPDS and the customer satisfaction indicator will be calculated.
Stake Holder – Department of Food
Responsibilities Performance Indicators
• Policy making• Introduction of good
performers• Smart card Distribution• FPS Inspection
•Number of FPSs sponsored
•Number of Inspections taken
•% of Smart cards distributed in total cards created
•% of signed FPS declarations uploaded (monthly)
Stake Holder – CGSCSC
Responsibilities Performance Indicators
•Delivery of PDS commodities to FPS
•Operation of mobile FPS
•Number of FPSs - Days with zero stocks of any commodity
(-ve Indicator)
•Number of Beneficiaries benefitted through mobile FPSs
Stake Holder – NIC
Responsibilities Performance Indicators
•Providing technology solutions
•COREPDS technology maintenance
•Capacity building
•Addressing day to day technical problems
•Server Up time Percentage – 95% of server up time is SLA
•% of offline transactions in the total transactions
(-ve Indicator)
•Number of Hours of training
•Number of FPS visits
Stake Holder – Fair Price Shop
Responsibilities Performance Indicators
•To sell PDS commodities to any valid PDS beneficiary of COREPDS ensuring dignity and convenience of the beneficiary
•To submit signed declaration in time
•To deposit money with CGSCSC in time
•The % of net addition of beneficiaries over the total beneficiaries attached to that FPS who received PDS commodities from any FPS
Stake Holder – Beneficiary
Responsibilities Performance Indicators
•To keep watch of operations of PDS
•Smiling face of beneficiary is the ultimate +ve performance indicator of the system
•Beneficiary performance shall not be monitored
Benefits realised
Reduced waiting time for service delivery
Due to equal distribution of beneficiaries in all nearby FPS’ the average waiting time has reduced to half an hour from 2 to 3 hours before implementation of COREPDS
Reduction in diversion
Mechanical authentication at the time of delivery completely checks the record of proxy issues and thus reduced diversion
Behavioral change in behavior of FPS personnel
The portability offered in COREPDS creates fear of losing customers which brought a drastic change in behavior of FPS personnel while dealing with the beneficiary
Reduced number of trips of beneficiaries to take different commodities
In COREPDS, a beneficiary is able to get all the commodities at one time. Even when one commodity is not available in an FPS the beneficiary can take the same from nearby FPS. This has lead to a drastic reduction in the number of trips of the beneficiary to take commodities to 2 trips
Bribe money stopped at the root:
As FPS in COREPDS can’t record proxy issues and hence it cannot black market any commodities. When the FPS does not get any illegal money it cannot pump the money upward in the chain.
Quantitative Indictors of Outcome
Reduction in Diversion (Aug 31st, 2012)
Indicator Before COREPDS
After CORPDS
Remark
Sale of BPL Grain
100% 95% Prior to COREPDS, FPSs used to record proxy issues and declare 99 to 100% sale. After introduction of Smart card / OTP authentication the sale figure have reduced.
Sale of Kerosene
100% 75%
Sale of APL Grain
80% 50%
Improvement in Service Delivery
Indicator Before COREPDS
After CORPDS
Remark
Churning Effect: The % of beneficiaries taken from the FPS other than the attached
0 14.3% There used to be the beneficiaries, which were forced to take rations from their fixed shop prior to COREPDS. They have moved to other shops. This is a direct indicator of improved service delivery.
% of FPS lost more than 25% of their business
0 18 %
Average number of trips to FPS to take different commodities
4 to 5 1.8
Freedom to chose
Currently 14% of beneficiaries are using portability. Remaining beneficiaries are taking at their own FPS, but now with their choice not by compulsion.
At this context I want to refer Amartya Sen’s quotation which is as follows
From 'Development as Freedom', p 27
"A person produces the same commodities in the same ay and ends up with same income and buys the same goods, she may still have very good reason to prefer the scenario of free choice over that of submission to order"
Amartya Sen
Winner of the noble prize in economics
The road a head
Rollout of COREPDS in
Rajnandgaon & Durg cities 01.11.2012
Bilaspur & Bhilai ciries 01.01.2013
All the remaining 6 cities 01.04.2013
Through the State 31.03.2015
COREPDS shall revolutionize the way PDS operates today