Mangaluru : Non-approved and non-standard weighing scales are found to be used and most of them are from China, and have found it way into the country, and if found being used the food and supplies .department will take strict action against such users.

Addressing a press meet here, the minister said 394 places across the state by the officials of food, civil supplies and consumer affairs department, and of the department of legal metrology, have resulted in 71 cases booked against shops for using such non-standard and non-approved weighing machines. Since we do not want customers to get cheated, we have taken stringent action, and violators have been booked under the Legal Metrology Act.”

“Such non-standard and non-approved Weighing scales, do not even bear, ISI mark or BIS Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). 61 shops were booked in raids conducted Bengaluru urban, and 31 cases were booked, in Bengaluru rural. 58 shops were raided. In Mysuru division, 108 shops were raided and 24 cases booked, in Belagavi 15 cases were booked and 134 shops raided, and in Kalaburagi one case was booked,” he said.

Verification of Ration Cards

Minister further said that 8.25 lac ration cards have been checklisted in the state, out of which 2.25 lac ration cards have been verified. In Mangaluru, 10,000 cards have been checklisted and 7,000 cards have been verified, out of which 1,850 cards are already in print.

Point Of Sale to be installed

Khader also said that at the point of sale (PoS) standard machines will soon be installed in all the public distribution system shops. “This system will help us collect data of ration distribution of the consumers. People criticize that ration shops are not regularly open but this method will force shopkeepers to disburse ration by the end of month or else the remaining stock will be carried forward. Out of 24,440 shops, nearly 10,000 have been installed with the machines so far.”