An inter-State portability for ration cards has been launched for Rajasthan and Haryana to facilitate the distribution of foodgrains to beneficiaries of the National Food Security scheme.
Labourers in the unorganised sector, migrating from one State to the other in search of work, will mainly benefit from the scheme. Rajasthan Food and Civil Supplies Minister Ramesh Chand Meena said here on Wednesday that the beneficiaries would be able to purchase their quota of wheat from the fair price shops in either of the States on one ration card. The scheme will later be expanded to cover essential commodities in addition to wheat.Mr. Meena said.
While the portability for Rajasthan and Haryana had been launched on Tuesday, the Centre would implement it all over the country soon, officials said. He said the online public distribution system operative in Rajasthan had made the work easier.
The new system was put on trial in Ramchandrapura village of Neemrana block in Rajasthan's Alwar district and Subhaseri village in Haryana's Rewari district. Mr. Meena said the foodgrains were distributed with the help of point of sale machines in the two villages.
Before implementing full-scale portability in the two States, the Union Food and Public Distribution Ministry had identified Rajasthan's Alwar and Churu districts and Haryana's Rewari and Hisar districts for the project. Mr. Meena said the new system would be made online in all the States after their complete digitisation.
