Citizens clueless on validity of ‘no commodity’ cards

Endless wait for new PDS family card also continues

Even as works for renewing family cards under the Public Distribution System are over, citizens who hold ‘no commodity’ cards are clueless on the validity of their cards.

Coimbatore district has 10.34 lakh cards attached to 1,347 PDS outlets.

Over 10 lakh cards have gone through the renewal process and some of the cardholders owing to change in commodity option between rice and sugar are waiting for the 2013-14 slips.

The cards had to be validated because the State Government’s project of smart cards for PDS was likely to take some more time.

District Collector M. Karunagaran said that in consultation with higher officials steps would be taken to revalidate or renew ‘no commodity’ cards. He said that the machinery would explore even the option of affixing a seal and signature on these cards stating that they had been revalidated for a further period.

Wait continues

Meanwhile, the process of issuing new family cards has been suspended in district, since there are only 800 holograms for 17,000 applications. The hologram is the security feature in a PDS card. Enquiries revealed that most of these applications have gone through field verification.

Going by the census figures, the Civil Supplies Commissionerate has started rationing the supply of holograms to avoid issue of bogus PDS family cards aimed at diverting subsidised commodities and to avert the misuse of cards for availing of the State Government sponsored freebies such as mixer grinder, television and wet grinder.

Officials said that the field level situation is being appraised to the Government and supply of holograms would resume shortly.