Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Oct 18: The state government's 'Anna Seve' mobile app, introduced to help ration card beneficiaries complete their e-KYC from home without having to visit fair price shops, is reportedly plagued by technical glitches, leaving users highly frustrated.
Developed by the Karnataka Food and Civil Supplies department in collaboration with the e-governance division, the app was meant to simplify the mandatory e-KYC process. However, users complain that the app constantly buffers and freezes on the mobile screen. When frustrated beneficiaries visit fair price shops as an alternative, shopkeepers often turn them away, citing their primary duty of distributing rations and asking them to rely on the app instead.
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As per central government regulations, ration card beneficiaries must complete their e-KYC every five years. In Karnataka, over 2.67 crore beneficiaries across 98.57 lac ration cards were identified for the pending e-KYC process. Initially, authentication was facilitated at fair price shops via biometric or iris scanners. However, persistent server issues and fingerprint recognition failures led to the development of the 'Anna Seve' app to allow citizens to complete the process themselves.
The app was initially rolled out on a pilot basis in Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, Udupi, Haveri, Karwar, Ballari, Bidar, and Koppal districts before being expanded statewide. Unfortunately, the app's frequent crashes have now become a headache for the public.
To use the service, beneficiaries must download the 'Anna Seve' app along with the 'Aadhaar FaceRD' and 'CSC' apps. After entering their district, ration card number, and linked mobile number, an OTP is supposed to be generated. Users report that after waiting for several minutes, they receive error messages stating that something went wrong or the request timed out. Furthermore, even if the six-digit OTP is generated, users allege that the app interface lacks a designated space to enter it, making it impossible to complete the login and e-KYC process.
Adding to the misery, the toll-free helpline 1967, established to address these very glitches, is reportedly of no use. Beneficiaries complain that calls to the number go unanswered and automatically disconnect.
Acknowledging the issue, officials from the Food and Civil Supplies department stated that the technical flaws in the 'Anna Seve' mobile app have been identified and the rectification process is underway, assuring that the problem will be resolved soon.