CHENNAI: The government on Wednesday announced that tokens will be distributed to ration cardholders at doorstep on April 24 and 25 for them to get free commodities at PDS shops from April 27.
Officials say the challenges of home-delivering essentials are many, but the administration in Tiruvannamalai district – 200km from Chennai – had already supplied essentials to 7.56 lakh cardholders at their homes in 15 days earlier this month. “Had quite a challenging task in mobilising vehicles and workforce, but we have done it in a record time,” collector K S Kandasamy told TOI.
The administration decided to use 300 tractors lying idle, arranged diesel and food for farmers and the vehicles were ready. The real challenge was to get the geo-referenced system in point-of-sale (POS) devices removed to swipe smart cards at doorsteps, but Kandasamy got sanction as a special case. A tractor with POS device, accompanied by salesman, helper, cooperative society secretary and an elected representative hit the streets of Tiruvannamalai every 7km. Apart from the regular PDS goods like rice and dal, 14 non-controlled commodities, at market rate, were also supplied, Kandasamy said. The official said door delivery of free ration will continue in May.
Why can this note be replicated across the state? “Logistics,” said a senior civil supplies department official. There are 35,244 shops within easy reach of more than two crore cardholders, the department says bringing commodities from godown to shops and to homes will be an arduous task.
With a bunch of etailers getting into grocery delivery to make the most of the situation, industry sources say delivery of PDS goods is possible if supplied in kits and in bulk. “A high degree of customisation is not possible since packing supplies on such a scale is difficult. At SunnyBee, we deliver vegetable and fruit kits and have been able to deliver on time. Packaging and transport is easier. Plus, deliveries can be done at say communities or apartment complexes with fewer personnel. This is the best option to get the supplies,” said Sanjay Dasari, founder, SunnyBee.
Shan Kadavil, CEO of FreshtoHome which transports milk, fresh produce and meat, says players in the hyperlocal delivery space can pitch in to supply in bulk for a short period. “But individual orders are difficult to manage because the backend needs to be updated accordingly and that is a tall order.”
Saurabh Kumar, co-founder of e-grocery platform Grofers, says increasing distribution centres can help ease delivery.
Officials say the challenges of home-delivering essentials are many, but the administration in Tiruvannamalai district – 200km from Chennai – had already supplied essentials to 7.56 lakh cardholders at their homes in 15 days earlier this month. “Had quite a challenging task in mobilising vehicles and workforce, but we have done it in a record time,” collector K S Kandasamy told TOI.
The administration decided to use 300 tractors lying idle, arranged diesel and food for farmers and the vehicles were ready. The real challenge was to get the geo-referenced system in point-of-sale (POS) devices removed to swipe smart cards at doorsteps, but Kandasamy got sanction as a special case. A tractor with POS device, accompanied by salesman, helper, cooperative society secretary and an elected representative hit the streets of Tiruvannamalai every 7km. Apart from the regular PDS goods like rice and dal, 14 non-controlled commodities, at market rate, were also supplied, Kandasamy said. The official said door delivery of free ration will continue in May.
Why can this note be replicated across the state? “Logistics,” said a senior civil supplies department official. There are 35,244 shops within easy reach of more than two crore cardholders, the department says bringing commodities from godown to shops and to homes will be an arduous task.
With a bunch of etailers getting into grocery delivery to make the most of the situation, industry sources say delivery of PDS goods is possible if supplied in kits and in bulk. “A high degree of customisation is not possible since packing supplies on such a scale is difficult. At SunnyBee, we deliver vegetable and fruit kits and have been able to deliver on time. Packaging and transport is easier. Plus, deliveries can be done at say communities or apartment complexes with fewer personnel. This is the best option to get the supplies,” said Sanjay Dasari, founder, SunnyBee.
Shan Kadavil, CEO of FreshtoHome which transports milk, fresh produce and meat, says players in the hyperlocal delivery space can pitch in to supply in bulk for a short period. “But individual orders are difficult to manage because the backend needs to be updated accordingly and that is a tall order.”
Saurabh Kumar, co-founder of e-grocery platform Grofers, says increasing distribution centres can help ease delivery.
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