Ration cards will soon be linked to biometric system, Aadhaar cards

To eliminate corruption and irregularities in the public distribution system (PDS) in the state, ration cards as well as all the rationing shops in the state would be linked with biometric system and the aadhaar cards.

The state cabinet recently gave its nod for the pilot project of making PDS transparent. The project would cost the state Rs173.72 crore.

Minister for the food and civil supplies Girish Bapat informed dna that the state would be incorporating the best practices adopted by the Chhatisgarh government which has minimal irregularities. He informed that the computerization and automation of the entire public distribution system would be completed in two phases. The common application software developed by the National Informatics Centre would be deployed for this purpose, he adeed.

The minister said that citizens would be provided with new ration cards which would have Aadhaar numbers on them along with the mobile numbers, bank account numbers and the bar codes of the beneficiaries. He said that all the 2.32 crore ration cards would be converted into new ration cards which would contain the name of the senior most woman in the beneficiary family along with her photograph and names of the family members. He informed that the expenditure to be incurred on the first phase would be Rs69.73 crores out of which fifty per cent would be Centre's contribution. The state has already received Rs20.92 crore out of Centre's Rs34.86 crore share.