M A I N   N E W S

Soon, smart cards for ration distribution in Punjab
Jangveer Singh/TNS

Plugging the leak Smart cards will replace existing ration cards in six months The new cards would allow online tracking of ration from the point it leaves the godown till it finally reaches the cardholder The move is aimed at eliminating fake beneficiaries of the PDS

Chandigarh, June 4
All 60 lakh ration cardholders in Punjab will have smart cards for the purchase of essential commodities from fair price shops within six months.

An exercise that aims at end-to-end computerisation of the public distribution system (PDS) in the state has already been started. The Food and Civil Supplies Department has been capturing the data of all 120 major godowns and 15,000 depot holders in the past month. It will now concentrate on collecting details of all ration cardholders.

Food and Civil Supplies Minister Adaish Partap Singh Kairon told TNS that the new ration cards would ensure that only genuine beneficiaries benefited from the scheme. The scheme would for the first time also allow online tracking of ration from the godown to the depot holder and finally to the individual cardholder. It will also provide micro detail about depot holders with whom cardholders are attached allowing for easy monitoring.

The first challenge is capturing the data of individual cards. One option is to use UID data, but only around 35% of the state’s population has been covered under Aadhar. “We want to make a complete family page of each card holder, which can be done partially through UID and through a data entry exercise that will have to be outsourced,” Food and Civil Supplies Secretary DS Grewal said.

Sources in the department said once the data of all cardholders was captured on computer, they could be issued smart cards or swipe cards. Depot holders could use machines to swipe such cards and record transaction of ration. All old ration cards would be invalid once this scheme comes into place by the end of the year. The Food and Civil Supplies Department expects a reduction in beneficiaries initially as there is no record of the deceased or of beneficiaries who have migrated out of the state.