Ponda: Fearing eye infections from iris scanners, beneficiaries of ration commodities have urged govt to reconsider the decision to replace fingerprint biometric authentication with mandatory iris scanning.Ration beneficiaries and shop owners have expressed discontent over govt’s decision to introduce the iris scanner system at the fair price shops, stating that the fingerprint biometric authentication was better.Jayant Tari, director of civil supplies, said the new system has been introduced to avert imitation of fingerprints.Tari said incidents of fingerprint misuse using fake fingerprints outside Goa have prompted the Centre to switch over to the iris scanner authentication system.Waman Gaude, a retired public servant, said the system could not authenticate him as he has undergone cataract surgery.The director said a person can opt for a nominee who can authenticate on his behalf to avail the ration. This would not affect the nominee, who can avail his own ration.A ration shop owner in Ponda said that during scanning, the blue beam causes eye irritation, as he has to do it at least twice daily to start the transaction.
Gaurav Naik, assistant director of the civil supplies department at Ponda, said, “Iris scanners were provided to fair price shops in Oct last year to use and provide feedback. However, none gave negative feedback, and the department believed the public accepted the scanners.”Another shop owner said, “The ill effects are not noticeable after one or two uses—they appear only with continuous use. The elderly beneficiaries and those with existing eye conditions are likely to face greater discomfort and difficulties during repeated authentication procedures at shops.”
