Technological inventory management in progress at Wayanad District Collectorate.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Distribution of relief materials from the main collection centre to relief camps during a disaster is often a chaotic process with mismatch between requirements and supply commonplace. With urgency overriding accountability and transparency, accusations of mismanagement and diversion are not rare either.
Relief work in Wayanad hit by devastating landslides was also staring at these impediments when a bunch of young techies with Faircode, a Kochi-based software solution company, walked into the Wayanad District Collectorate a couple of days ago with a technology-infused ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) inventory management solution. They started with entering the data of the entire stock at the collection centre. ERP, a repository of all data and processes involved, not only streamlined the flow of relief materials to camps but ensured transparency with a live public dashboard that serves as a guiding light for those looking to make meaningful contribution.
Four vital information
It offers the public four vital information. The entire stock of materials received, distributed and remaining; materials urgently needed; materials with depleting stock; and materials currently in stock.
“This addresses the issue of transparency while also enabling potential donors to contribute materials most urgently needed but in short supply at a given point of time. Revenue officials serving as camp coordinators in all 93 camps in Wayanad can also have access to this information and place their requirements accordingly,” says Rajith Ramachandran, chief technical officer, Faircode.
Technological inventory management in progress at Wayanad District Collectorate.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
For instance, request for noodles is an unlikely one from a relief camp. But if a camp coordinator knows about the availability of instant noodles packets at the collection centre and there are children in the camp who like it, then he may place a request. Also, every single contribution is inventoried and donors can check it real time.
The list of urgently needed materials at any given point can also be verified. (https://inventory.wyd.faircode.co/stock_inventory). For instance, on Saturday at 2.32 p.m., the top three urgently required items were 500 sweaters, 271 packets of bleaching powder and 167 mats for the inmates in camps to sleep. Similarly the stock inventory can be verified through the URL https://inventory.wyd.faircode.co/stock_inventory.
“This was perhaps our fastest completed project and the authorities are fully satisfied. We are now looking at the adding additional search features for the public,” says Naveen George, chief financial officer, Faircode.
Those who have lost their homes in the landslides are likely to remain in camps for extended periods and the ERP can be used to manage the distribution of relief materials as long as may be needed. Apart from the Revenue officials and the team of Faircode Technologies, four data entry operators have also been roped in to run the system.
