Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs U.T. Khader said here on Saturday that the State government was contemplating relaxing conditions to get new ration cards. A proposal to this effect would be tabled in the next Cabinet meeting on Friday, he said.
Speaking to presspersons, the Minister said that the existing 14 conditions to get the cards would be reduced to four.
Those having houses with a built-up area of 800 sq. ft and below in urban areas and built up area of 1,200 sq.ft and below in rural areas; whose electricity consumption would not exceed 125 units per month; who did not own a private car or any other private four-wheeler and who are not Income Tax payers will be eligible to apply. Aadhar card numbers of the applicants would be linked to the ration cards, he said.
The Minister said that the government is thinking of doing away with the classification of BPL (below poverty line) and APL (above poverty line) as basis for issuing ration cards. Instead it would be on the basis of ‘priority’ and ‘non-priority’ classification of people. The four classifications mooted fell under ‘priority’ section.
He said that the government would also make a move to introduce IVR (interactive voice response) system for booking of commodities under public distribution system (PDS).
A ration card holder could make the booking by dialling a toll free number, 1614, like booking cooking gas cylinder.
The card holder will get a number both via voice and SMS on cellphone. The number should be shown to the fair price shop keeper to purchase commodities. The shopkeeper in turn would verify the booking number by dialling 1613.
With this system the shopkeeper cannot divert the commodities of PDS elsewhere as he or she would have to issue the commodities only to those who made the booking.
This proposal would also come up in the next Cabinet meeting.
Salt
The Minister said that the government would also distribute double fortified salt through PDS shortly with an objective of reducing anemia and iodine deficiency disorders. The Cabinet has approved this move.
