More states, UTs join 'one nation, one ration card' initiative

In the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, more states and union territories are joining efforts to digitise the public distribution system to allow citizens access subsidised food grains anywhere in the country.

The ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ initiative of the government seeks to ensure that more than 81 crore beneficiaries of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) get access to food grains anywhere in the country, should they choose to leave the towns and villages in search of jobs elsewhere.

The initiative got a fresh push during the Covid-19 outbreak and with the Centre setting a stiff deadline of March next year to get all states and union territories onboard.

In September, union territories of Ladakh and Lakshadweep joined the national portability cluster comprising 24 states and union territories.

“More than 65 crore beneficiaries across 26 states and union territories that comprise 80% of the NFSA beneficiaries are now potentially enabled with the option to lift their subsidised food grains through the One Nation, One Ration Card system,” a senior Food Ministry official said.

However, the challenge before the government is to convince states such as West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Chhatisgarh and Assam to join initiative. These states contend that they have better public distribution schemes than the NFSA and efforts were on get them onboard.

Under the ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ eligible beneficiaries can avail their entitled food grains from any fair price shop in the country using the same ration card, which is linked to the Aadhaar card.

The initiative is expected to benefit migrant workers, who can avail the subsidised food grains entitled to them at their city of work, while the family can claim their entitlements in their place of residence.

The Integrated Management of Public Distribution System (IM-PDS) forms the backbone of the ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ initiative.

The ministry is also planning to launch a mobile application that would allow migrant workers to register and avail their entitled subsidised food grains under the NFSA using the ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ system.

The government is also planning to set up a national helpline number to help migrant workers claim their benefits under the initiative.