Excelsior Correspondent
Jammu, July 11: Launch of ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ (ONORC) scheme was today held successfully across all districts of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration had earlier on June 23 launched the ”One Nation One Ration Card” scheme at two fair shops on a pilot basis from Jammu district.
Under the ‘One Nation-One Ration Card’ initiative, eligible beneficiaries would be able to avail their entitled food grains under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) from any Fair Price Shop in the country using the same ration card. So far, ration card portability has been enabled in 20 states and UT including Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Punjab, Telangana, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh.Orissa, Sikkim and Mizoram. After today’s successful launch, the department of FCS&CA is all set to completely roll out this ambitious programme in a phased manner by end of August, 2020.
The implementation of ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ will enable migrants to use their ration cards at any free price shop across the country to obtain food grains. Similarly residents of Jammu and Kashmir will be able to get food grains from fair price shops located outside the UT.
The Food Ministry, Government of India aims to implement this facility across the country by March 2021.
The new system, based on a technological solution, will identify a beneficiary through Aadhar based 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 he/she is entitled under the NFSA.
Under the National Food Security Act, 2013, about 81 crore persons are entitled to buy subsidized foodgrain – 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). Currently, about 23 crore ration cards have been issued to nearly 80 crore beneficiaries of NFSA in all states and UTs.
In today’s trials conducted by the FCS&CA Department of J&K interstate,interdistrict and intertehsils Aadhar enabled biometric transactions were successfully conducted.This scheme will bring more accountability and transparency in the system and will bring Jammu and Kashmir at par with other states in Public Distribution System.
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