“Automatic Rationing for Public Distribution System (PDS) using RFID and GSM Module to

Prevent Irregularities”
Pingle, Rajesh
Borole, P.B
HCTL Open IJTIR, Volume 2, March 2013
e – ISSN: 2321 – 1814

A public distribution system is a network of shops for basic commodities in some country. Basic
commodities include gas (kerosene), sugar, wheat, rice, etc. These commodities are being sold at
justifiable rates to every citizen and especially to those families living under poverty. The
government (in India) has a unique identification number called AADHAR number, which is the
key to access to information such as address, contact numbers, bank account numbers, social
security numbers, etc. By the use of the system, the government can contact the person, using the
GSM module, to inform him/her the allotted ration for him/her. This project was developed in
order to eliminate the rampant corruption and illegal smuggling of goods. Before the RFID-based
automated rationing system was developed, manual schemes were used and no technology to aid
the distribution of goods. There were a lot of irregularities in the entries of listings and
inventories such as wrong entries in stock register and distributing of low graded products than
the actual products provided by the government to the public.

The system is divided into two parts: the software component and the hardware component. The
RFID reader interfaced with a microcontroller and is connected serially to the PC through RS-
232. The connection between the PC and the reader is now then used to form the connection
between the microcontroller and the PC wherein a database, connected with the government, is
being linked. The RFID reader must be able to command the microcontroller whenever an RFID
card is being swiped or detected and the GSM Module should be able to receive messages from
government database and by the use of the software program it should be able to store/forward it.

When a person swiped his card to the RFID reader, the reader reads the EPC () and sends this
code using the GSM module to the government for authentication purposes. The government will
authenticate the owner if it's legitimate or not and will indicate how much is allocated for the
owner. After the authentication process, the government will now send an SMS to the GSM
Module and will interpret the data received and the automated rationing system process is
complete.

This project paves way to less corrupt government through transparency of the distribution of the
goods and will eliminate as much as possible all irregularities in the inventory of stocks.