Punjab Govt rolls out Smart Ration Card Scheme

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 12

Even as he launched the Smart Ration Card Scheme to cover 1.41 crore beneficiaries across the state, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh today announced a separate state-funded scheme to provide subsidised ration to nine lakh beneficiaries not covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).

With this, the total number of beneficiaries in the state would go up to 1.50 crore, the Chief Minister announced, while rolling out the smart card scheme under which 37.5 lakh cards would be distributed to the eligible beneficiaries this month.

Capt Amarinder said the Centre had capped the maximum number of beneficiaries to 1.41 crore and, despite repeated requests, had not agreed to provide subsidised ration to the deserving nine lakh people not covered under the NFSA. His government had, therefore, decided to cover all such left out eligible persons under a state-funded scheme, the details of which would be announced shortly, he said.

Launching the Smart Ration Card Scheme virtually, with connection to 100 places across the state, the Chief Minister said the scheme would help curb corruption and give freedom to the beneficiaries to buy from any depot. Describing it as a major step towards empowering the beneficiary, he said it would end the exploitation of beneficiaries by unscrupulous ration depot holders. The smart ration card empowers the beneficiary to get his entitled quota of foodgrain from any ration depot across the state.