Under the new “One Nation, One Ration Card” scheme released by the Centre, ration cards may get cancelled after three months if it has not been used to avail food grains and other food items.
A total of nine states – Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Goa, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh – have implemented the plan.
The “One Nation, One Ration Card” scheme was released by the Centre in May 2020 and was adopted in June. The scheme covers 67 crore beneficiaries in 23 states, with 83 percent of the PDS population to get access by August 2020, and 100 percent to be achieved by March 2021.
Under the National Food Security Act, 2013, about 81 crore persons are entitled to buy subsidised foodgrains – rice at Rs 3/kg, wheat at Rs 2/kg, and coarse grains at Re 1/kg – from their designated Fair Price Shops (FPS) of the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS).
Rations cards have historically been issued as printed booklets and contain details of the financial status of a family. State governments have only recently started digitising the documents. The switch to digital ration cards has not been done pan-India yet, as the administration of these cards is handled by individual state governments.
The new "One Nation, One Ration Card” system, will identify a beneficiary through biometric authentication on electronic Point of Sale (ePoS) devices installed at the FPSs and enable that person to purchase the quantity of foodgrains to which she is entitled under the NFSA.
The cards are primarily used when purchasing subsidised food (wheat, rice, sugar and kerosene). The card details also provide an important proof of identity and residence of the individual and is commonly used as an identity proof when applying for making a domicile certificate, birth certificate, voter ID card, etc.
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