Distribution of smart family cards commenced in the district on Saturday with Collector M. Karunakaran formally inaugurating the exercise at a function held at KTC Nagar.
He said the district had 1,454 ration shops.
These shops catered to the needs of 8,37,404 ration cards and these cards would be replaced shortly by smart cards in phases.
In the first phase, the district had received 46,510 smart cards.
Thoothukudi Collector M. Ravikumar distributed smart family cards to consumers at a programme organised at a fair price shop at Asur Thalavaipuram in Kovilpatti taluk on Saturday.
The district had a total of 4,51,000 family cardholders and 957 fair price shops were supplying essential commodities to them, he said.
Collector Sajjansingh R. Chavan inaugurated the distribution of smart family cards in Kanniyakumari district on Saturday at the Government Higher Secondary School in Aalur in Kalkulam taluk.
Distributing smart cards to 207 ration card holders, Mr. Chavan said that 47,972 smart cards in Kalkulam Taluk have been received.
Ramanathapuram Collector S. Natarajan launched the distribution of smart family cards to cardholders at a function held here on Saturday.
He said there were 3,41,145 family cardholders, attached to 777 ration shops in the district and a total of 53,312 family cardholders would be given the new smart cards in the first phase. Thanks to the smart cards, the cardholders could avail a host of services online by visiting the website www.tnpds.gov.in, he said.
In Sivaganga, Collector S. Malarvizhi launched the distribution of the smart family cards by handing over the cards to 26 cardholders at Mudikandam panchayat.
