April 30 deadline for completing e-KYC
Food & Civil Supplies (F&CS) department has called for strict adherence to the SMART PDS (Scheme for Modernization and Reforms through Technology in the Public Distribution System), which was rolled out in Nagaland in May 2025 in line with directives from the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.
In a press release, F&CS director, Vekhoyi Chakhesang, stated that the initiative aims to bring greater transparency, enable real-time monitoring, and promote data-driven decision-making in the PDS.
Since its implementation, F&CS director stated that the department has repeatedly issued circulars and press releases reminding all stakeholders of mandatory procedures, including the compulsory use of ePoS devices for all transactions, proper recording of undistributed food grains as closing balance (CB), and completion of e-KYC by beneficiaries as mandated under the NFSA Act, 2013.
F&CS director informed that biometric authentication through ePoS machines was currently serving over 80.6 crore beneficiaries across the country, including Nagaland.
The director said that all transactions were captured in real time on the AePDS portal, which is monitored by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), Hyderabad, and the Union Ministry.
In response to recent complaints regarding shortfall or non-receipt of food grains in some districts, the department clarified that all Fair Price Shops (FPS) must record non-transacted quantities as closing balance in the ePoS system.
F&CS director said this balance was automatically carried forward as opening balance for the next month and must be physically available with the FPS or village council-run FPS for distribution.
The system of maintaining CB and carry-forward is uniformly followed across India, with all allocations and transactions digitally recorded through platforms such as RCMS, AePDS, and IAeSCM.
Further, F&CS director said that monthly food grain allocations were auto-calculated by the SMART PDS portal after adjusting the previous month’s CB.
Accordingly, the director said the department lifts grains from FCI only as per the net requirement generated by the system.
Therefore, the department has strongly advised all FPSs and village council-run FPSs to strictly follow SMART PDS operational guidelines. It cautioned that any deviation or non-compliance could affect the smooth implementation of NFSA and cause inconvenience to beneficiaries.
For greater transparency, the department said public could access the department’s portal (epos.nagaland.gov.in / eposnagaland.gov.in/scm) to view entitlements, allocations, and FPS details.
Meanwhile, the department has requested all NFSA ration card holders to complete their e-KYC on or before April 30, 2026, failing which their subsidy entitlements could be suspended or cancelled as per government norms.
For any clarification on closing balance or related issues, stakeholders could contact their respective district offices.