Shillong, Oct. 8: Meghalaya has rolled out a real-time vehicle tracking system to monitor the movement of foodgrain consignments from depots to Fair Price Shops, with a Command and Control Centre inaugurated here on Thursday.
Sanjeev Chopra, Secretary, Department of Food and Public Distribution, Government of India, inaugurated the centre at the Directorate of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs office in Shillong.
The system will allow officials to track foodgrain-carrying vehicles during transit using GPS devices installed in the vehicles or through the drivers’ mobile phones.
Speaking to the media after the inauguration, Chopra said the system would provide authorities with real-time information on the location of vehicles and help verify whether consignments had reached their designated Fair Price Shops.
The tracking mechanism is also expected to help authorities respond more quickly to complaints about vehicles not reaching Fair Price Shops and detect possible diversion or other irregularities in the movement of foodgrains.
Officials will be able to locate a vehicle during transit and take action if its movement raises concerns, Chopra said.
The initiative is aimed at strengthening monitoring of the foodgrain supply chain and improving accountability in the movement of consignments from government depots to distribution points.
Commissioner and Secretary Pravin Bakshi, Director I. Mawlong and other officials were present at the inauguration.
