Unlike smart cards, which can be pledged or could be handed over to another to get the benefits, biometric system prevents the misuse of ration card. Also, only genuine below poverty line card holder approaches the PDS shop as the well-to-do persons, who hitherto used to send their representatives/ agents to buy the products, hesitate to personally visit the shop, Mr. Gowda said.This machine can help overcome the economic disadvantages of illiteracy collect better data on food disbursements, reduce the black market in welfare benefits, and can reduce the welfare benefits that accrue to those who do not qualify for particular programs.
But it's not just the machine. There seems to be a system behind the hardware that can monitor the whole program in near real time.
Pretty cool deployment. I hope it works out.
This one reminds me of a system we developed to monitor teacher time-and-attendance for an aid project in West Africa.
