A week after scrapping collection of Aadhaar and other details from those receiving free food through Indira canteens, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s (BBMP) on Wednesday launched a mobile app, asking canteen staffers to upload mobile number and photographs of beneficiaries holding food packets, before distribution. In case more than three packets are distributed, staffers have to enter One Time Password (OTP) and the family’s ration card before handing the food packets.
The Indira canteen is a subsidised food programme run by the Karnataka government, on the lines of Amma Unavagam of Tamil Nadu. On Tuesday, Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa said free meals would be provided for the poor in Bengaluru during the lockdown period.
The “Indira Canteen Parcel Distribution” app was introduced on Wednesday morning. Since its introduction, the app has faced several glitches, including getting stuck while uploading photos. Staffers at the Indira canteen told HT that glitches and the lack of technical knowledge among staffers have resulted in a delay in food distribution.
Besides, the app was not compatible with several mobile phones used by the Indira canteen staff.
Thulasi Maddineni, special commissioner (Finance), who is in-charge of free distribution of food through Indira canteens, said BBMP has no option but to introduce the app since there is suspicion of malpractice in canteens. “We want to ensure that the contractors are not billing the government more than the number of food packets that are distributed. We are collecting the mobile numbers and photographs so that there is fudging of data,” she said.
Just a week ago, the distribution of free food for the poor during lockdown through Indira canteens had come under criticism from locals and activists alike, after employees of the canteens were seen collecting Aadhaar card details and mobile numbers from those getting the food. Following this, BBMP commissioner Gaurav Gupta on May 12 had announced that no identity proof or mobile number of the beneficiary was required for the distribution of food at Indira Canteens. Despite the order, the BBMP introduced the new app that requires beneficiaries to provide their name, mobile number and photographs of the “food packet”.
An employee of one of the canteens, on the condition of anonymity, said that they have been having trouble with the app since the time they started distributing breakfast on Wednesday. “I don’t know much about the app; in fact, I don’t know how to use a smartphone. We were told that we should have this app on our phones, and we should feed the data on it. I took someone’s help to download and how to use it. It takes a lot of time to use this,” said the staffer.
Another staffer at a different canteen said the app has been giving them problems since morning. “It stopped working at one point and we have clear instructions that food should be given only after entering these details. The queue was getting longer during lunchtime because we couldn’t find our way around the app. This has our jobs difficult,” the staffer said, asking not to be named.
“We were happy when they BBMP removed the earlier decision and said we didn’t have to collect any details of people who were getting food. These are poor people; we feel bad to ask them for their id proof and taking their photos. Now, they have reintroduced it. Earlier if we had to take it down on a piece of paper, now we have to use an app that we don’t understand,” the staffer added.
Admitting there were some glitches with the app, special commissioner Maddineni said IT teams are rectifying them. “We are very clear that no one should be sent back without food because they couldn’t provide the details we need, but at the same time, we want accountability in the distribution. We are aware of several malpractices, especially from the contractors, that why we want these measures,” she said.
When asked about the difficulties faced in the distribution of free food because of the introduction of technology, she said every staffer should get in touch with the IT team, if there are any technical glitches. On the process leading to delay in distribution, Maddineni said, “We don’t want a situation where the BBMP is accused of a scam. As I said, we have to introduce these measures because we want to check malpractices by the contractors. That fact is that the contractor doesn’t want distribution food through Indira canteens streamlined.”
