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Chhattisgarh Plans SMS Food Alerts
Techtree News Staff, Jan 15, 2008 1815 hrs ISTTo get the alerts, the beneficiaries of PDS will have to register details of their mobile phones at the Web site of the Department of Food and Civil Supplies.
Leveraging mobile messaging technology for a public cause, the Chhattisgarh state government has decided to offer SMS alerts facility to inform the poor about availability and supply of food at the state's local subsidized public distribution (PDS) shops.
However, government officials are still unclear as to how many such poor families actually own mobile phones.
To get the alerts, the beneficiaries of PDS will have to register details of their mobile phones at the Web site of the Department of Food and Civil Supplies, along with details of the nearest PDS or ration shops.
If everything falls into place and the SMS facility starts as per schedule on January 26, Chhattisgarh will become the first state in the country to have such a system.
According to officials of the department, SMS alerts would also be sent out through the Internet to beneficiaries of the Rs 8.5 billion Food Security Scheme (FSS) once they register their names, addresses, and mobile phone numbers with local PDS shops.
Starting 16 January, FSS will offer beneficiaries food grains at further subsidized rates. The FSS is a part of the PDS. The FSS aims at covering 3.4 million families, which is about 60 percent of the state's 20.08 million population.
Apart from SMS alerts, the Chhattisgarh state government is also planning to set up toll-free call centers across the state from January 26 to take supply-related complaints of PDS beneficiaries, and deliver time-bound replies to them.
However, government officials are still unclear as to how many such poor families actually own mobile phones.
To get the alerts, the beneficiaries of PDS will have to register details of their mobile phones at the Web site of the Department of Food and Civil Supplies, along with details of the nearest PDS or ration shops.
If everything falls into place and the SMS facility starts as per schedule on January 26, Chhattisgarh will become the first state in the country to have such a system.
According to officials of the department, SMS alerts would also be sent out through the Internet to beneficiaries of the Rs 8.5 billion Food Security Scheme (FSS) once they register their names, addresses, and mobile phone numbers with local PDS shops.
Starting 16 January, FSS will offer beneficiaries food grains at further subsidized rates. The FSS is a part of the PDS. The FSS aims at covering 3.4 million families, which is about 60 percent of the state's 20.08 million population.
Apart from SMS alerts, the Chhattisgarh state government is also planning to set up toll-free call centers across the state from January 26 to take supply-related complaints of PDS beneficiaries, and deliver time-bound replies to them.
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Harkirat Uberoi
,Navi Mumbai, on Jan 16, 2008 04:47 PM
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