Flooded areas: Aadhaar card not required for rations

Those displaced by floods must not be asked to produce Aadhaar or any other document of identification while seeking ration at fair price shops, the state government has ordered.

In a circular issued by the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs department, all fair price shops located in flood-hit areas where internet connectivity is affected have been asked to provide ration supplies in the offline mode, without biometric authentication of beneficiaries.

"Without asking eligible beneficiaries to furnish Aadhaar card, ration card or other documents, ration supplies must be given by checking the list maintained at the fair price shop, the circular states. "Those who have lost their ration cards in the floods must be issued fresh cards after verifying their credentials."

The offline mode will have to be followed for the next three months or as the deputy commissioner decides, the circular states.

This comes after the displaced families complained that they were forced to provide documentation to avail of services even after having lost all their belongings in the floods.