GPS tracking to be made mandatory for rice trucks in Mizoram to prevent ration theft

The Mizoram government has planned to make GPS tracking mandatory for trucks carrying rice to prevent theft and shortages in ration shops. According to a report by Hindustan Times, the state's Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, B. Lalchanzova, said on Thursday that these steps are being taken to ensure that beneficiaries receive their full entitlement.

The Minister clarified that all trucks carrying rice will have to be fitted with AIS-140 compliant GPS devices so that their movement can be monitored by the department's Command and Control Room. Vehicles without these tracking devices will not be permitted to carry ration rice. During the transition period of this process, transporters will be allowed to use a mobile app-based tracking system jointly developed by the Centre and the World Food Programme, but GPS devices will ultimately be mandatory. This entire system is expected to be fully operational by the end of December.

To prevent ration theft, all e-POS (ePoS) machines will be linked with digital weighing scales at Fair Price Shops. This will ensure that the quantity entered into the system matches the actual quantity provided to the beneficiaries. This will prevent activities such as providing less weight or recording transactions against beneficiaries who have not received ration. Training for retailers has been completed for the November distribution cycle, although 263 retailers facing internet connectivity or equipment issues have been permitted to continue distribution under the current system.

The government has also announced an increase in margins for ration retailers and transportation rates. From October, the margin for Antyodaya Anna Yojana and Priority Household (PHH) beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act has been increased to ₹2 per kg, while for PHH, non-NFSA, and Mizoram State Special Ration Package categories, it has been set at ₹2 per kg. The town-trip transportation rate for retailers has also been increased from ₹50 to ₹75 per quintal.

Three systems will be used to digitise the entire supply chain: the Supply Chain Management System, the Route Optimisation Tool, and the Vehicle Location Tracking System. The Route Optimisation Tool will identify shorter routes, while the Vehicle Location Tracking System will provide live tracking of trucks. Approximately 91,000 quintals of rice are required every month for ration distribution in Mizoram, of which 54,798.33 quintals are provided free by the Food Corporation of India and the remainder is purchased by the state from the open market.

The state is also prepared to reduce purchases from the open market in this financial year. Purchases in the year 2026-27 are estimated to be approximately 3,34,114 quintals, which is 1,45,374 quintals less than the 4,79,488 quintals in 2025-26. This reduction is expected to save the state approximately ₹52.19 crore. There are currently 1,266 Fair Price Shops in Mizoram serving 2,96,051 ration card holders out of a population of 11,78,801.