The government is going to take a big step towards making the ration distribution system more transparent across the country. After removing the names of lakhs of ineligible beneficiaries from the Public Distribution System (PDS), now ration cards can be issued to about 3 crore new eligible people. Union Food Minister Pralhad Joshi said that states have been allowed to add eligible families, so that the benefits of government schemes can actually reach the needy people.
The Central Government is continuously working to make the Public Distribution System (PDS) more transparent and effective. In this series, a big decision has come out regarding ration card holders. Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi has said that after the removal of names of fake and ineligible beneficiaries, there is a possibility of issuing about 3 crore new ration cards in the country.
Prahlad Joshi said that the Food Ministry had identified 8.51 crore beneficiaries across the country who were not eligible for the ration scheme. These included deceased persons, income tax payers and people owning four wheelers. The ministry had sent this list to the states so that they could investigate at their own level and take necessary action. According to the minister, till now various states have removed the names of a total of 2.21 crore ineligible beneficiaries from the ration card list. He clarified that this action has been taken by the states on the basis of their own rules and verification process, and not the Central Government has directly removed anyone’s name.
Currently 80 crore people are getting free ration
The Union Minister said that states have now been allowed to include eligible people in the ration system. This can open the way for about 3 crore new beneficiaries to get ration cards. He said that at present about 79 crore people in the country are taking the benefit of the government ration scheme, while under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), the target is to provide free food grains to 80 crore people.
He said that digitization of PDS has increased transparency in the distribution system. 98.5 percent ration distribution is being confirmed through Aadhaar based authentication and e-POS machines. Apart from this, technologies like smart warehouse and modern depot are also being adopted rapidly. The government says that its objective is not to reduce expenditure, but to ensure that government food grains actually reach the needy people. In this direction, emphasis is being laid on making the ration distribution system completely digital and transparent.
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