The public distribution system in the State came to a halt after a technical snag caused by a power outage in a data centre hindered biometric authentication of beneficiaries on Friday.
Several ration card holders had to return after waiting for hours at the 14,100-odd fair price shops as the e-PoS (electronic point of sale) machines failed to process the biometric data fed into the system for the release of ration supplies. Many shops witnessed considerable queues since these outlets had replenished their stocks of raw rice, parboiled rice, custom milled rice and their fortified variants only a few days ago.
With the problem persisting for several hours, the Food and Civil Supplies department declared a holiday for ration outlets in the afternoon.
Food and Civil Supplies Minister G.R. Anil attributed the glitch to a power outage in the data centre functioning under the Kerala State IT Mission. This disrupted the operation of the Authentication User Agency (AUA) server, which facilitates Aadhaar-enabled services. A technical team headed by the IT Mission director has been tasked with resolving the snag to resume ration supply in the State.
