Pune’s ration rice shortage has disrupted foodgrain distribution during Dussehra, with rice yet to reach several fair price shops and ration-card holders being forced to make repeated visits. The city is short of about 1,000 tonnes of the approximately 3,000 tonnes of rice required, while technical problems with e-POS machines have added to the delay.
Prashant Khatal, Pune city’s foodgrain distribution officer, said the remaining rice supply is expected to reach shops within three to four days. The assurance comes as residents visiting ration outlets have reportedly had to return without receiving rice, creating difficulties for families preparing for the festival.
According to the report, the shortage has also led to arguments between customers and ration shop operators. Residents have been approaching shopkeepers for information, but operators say they cannot distribute rice when the stock has not reached their outlets.
Ganesh Dangi, president of the Pune city ration shopkeepers’ association, said customers were visiting shops repeatedly and disputes were occurring because rice was unavailable. The disruption has therefore affected both sides of the public distribution system: beneficiaries are unable to collect their entitlement, while shopkeepers are unable to complete distribution without stock.
The e-POS machines used to record and process ration distribution also developed technical problems, further slowing the process. Khatal said the machines had stopped functioning because of the technical issues, but distribution had resumed over the past two days.
The administration said Pune requires approximately 4,000 tonnes of wheat and that the entire wheat supply has reached fair price shops. The remaining delay is specific to the rice allocation, with customers at affected outlets expected to wait until the balance stock is delivered.
The episode highlights how a delay in upstream supply and a separate digital system failure can combine to disrupt access to a basic public service. For ration-card holders, the immediate question is when rice will become available at their designated shops and whether distribution can proceed smoothly once the pending stock arrives.
The administration’s stated next step is to deliver the remaining 1,000 tonnes of rice to shops within three to four days. Distribution is expected to continue through the e-POS system, which officials said has been functioning again for the past two days.
