The distribution of the new colour-coded ration cards began in the district on Thursday. The cards, which replace the earlier Below the Poverty Line (BPL) and Above the Poverty Line (APL) cards, will prevent misappropriation of benefits under the National Food Security Act by making the beneficiaries more aware of their entitlements, says C. Chandran, a rationing inspector.
Beneficiaries of the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) scheme will receive yellow cards while the pink cards belong to the priority category.
The blue cardholders will get State subsidy for the non-priority category, and the white cardholders belong to the general non-priority category.
The ration share of each category a month are: Yellow: 35 kg of foodgrains per card for free, including 28 kg of rice and 7 kg of wheat; Pink: 5 kg of foodgrains per person for free, including 4 kg of rice and 1 kg of wheat; Blue: 2 kg of rice per person at ₹2 (no wheat); White: Rice at ₹8.90 a kg and wheat at ₹6.70 a kg. “Earlier, there were misconceptions among the cardholders. For example, since the AAY and priority categories were both BPL cardholders, it was common for the priority cardholders to question why they were being given a lesser quantity of foodgrains compared to AAY beneficiaries,” says Mr. Chandran.
The new cards are priced at ₹50 for the yellow, pink, and blue ones, and ₹100 for the white. Beneficiaries of the SC/ST category may be exempt from paying for the cards on producing their caste certificates.
