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Published on:
March 21, 2023
By
Prudhvi Raj

One Nation One Ration Card Scheme

The One Nation One Ration Card Scheme is a government initiative aimed at providing food security to the citizens of India. The main objective of the scheme is to make the Public Distribution System (PDS) more effective and accessible to everyone, regardless of their place of residence.

Under the scheme, a single ration card will be issued to a household, which can be used to avail food grains from any fair price shop in any part of the country. The scheme will remove the need for households to possess multiple ration cards for different states, making it easier and more convenient for them to access the food subsidy.

The scheme will be implemented by integrating the existing PDS with the National Portability Platform (NPOP), which will allow citizens to access their entitled food subsidy from any fair price shop in the country. The NPOP will be linked to the Aadhaar database, enabling real-time authentication and authorization of beneficiaries.

The One Nation One Ration Card Scheme is expected to bring several benefits to the citizens of India, including reducing the burden of carrying multiple ration cards, reducing corruption and leakages in the PDS, improving food security for migrant workers, and ensuring that no one goes hungry. The scheme is a step towards achieving the goal of a universal and equitable public distribution system for all citizens of India.

One Nation One Ration Card Scheme benefits

The One Nation One Ration Card Scheme has several benefits, including:

1. Improved Access to Ration:

The scheme aims to provide improved access to subsidized food grains under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) to all eligible beneficiaries across the country, regardless of their location.

2. Increased Portability:

Beneficiaries can now access their food grains from any Fair Price Shop (FPS) in the country, rather than being restricted to only their local FPS. This makes it easier for beneficiaries to access their rations, especially those who frequently travel or move to different states.

3. Reduced Corruption:

The One Nation One Ration Card Scheme aims to reduce corruption and improve transparency in the distribution of food grains. With the integration of electronic Point of Sale (ePoS) devices, real-time tracking of food grain distribution will become possible, reducing the scope for corrupt practices.

4. Better targeting of subsidies:

The scheme will enable the government to target subsidies more effectively, by identifying and eliminating duplicate and fake ration cards. This will ensure that the benefits reach the intended beneficiaries and reduce the burden on the government's finances.

5. Improved Monitoring and Accountability:

The implementation of the One Nation One Ration Card Scheme will improve the monitoring and accountability of the public distribution system (PDS) by creating a centralized database of beneficiaries. This will make it easier for the government to track the distribution of food grains and take corrective action, if necessary.

Overall, the One Nation One Ration Card Scheme is expected to improve the accessibility and transparency of the public distribution system and ensure that the benefits reach the intended beneficiaries.

One Nation One Ration Card Scheme Implementation

1. The One Nation One Ration Card Scheme was introduced by the Government of India with the objective of providing food security to all citizens of the country. The scheme was launched on June 1, 2020, and aims to ensure that every beneficiary can access their food grain entitlements from any fair price shop across the country.

2. The implementation of the scheme involves the integration of the Public Distribution System (PDS) with the Aadhaar-based biometric authentication system to ensure that the food grains are distributed only to the rightful beneficiaries.

3. Under the scheme, a family's ration card will be linked to their Aadhaar number, and they can purchase their monthly food grains from any fair price shop in any state in India, without having to get a new ration card. This is made possible through the integration of the PDS with the Aadhaar-enabled biometric authentication system, which will ensure that only the rightful beneficiaries receive the food grains.

4. In order to implement the scheme, the government has made necessary arrangements for the integration of the PDS with the Aadhaar database. This includes upgrading the existing PDS systems and the introduction of new technology such as point of sale (POS) machines, which are installed at fair price shops to facilitate the biometric authentication of beneficiaries.

5. The scheme is being implemented in a phased manner, starting from select states and gradually being extended to cover the entire country. The government is closely monitoring the implementation of the scheme and making necessary changes to ensure its success.

One Nation One Ration Card Scheme Progress

1. The One Nation One Ration Card Scheme was launched by the Indian government in 2019 with the aim of providing citizens with access to food grain under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) from anywhere in the country using a single ration card. The scheme is aimed at reducing the burden of multiple ration cards, enabling mobility and creating a seamless public distribution system (PDS) across the nation.

2. In terms of progress, the implementation of the scheme has been slow, but steady. Initially, the scheme was launched in several pilot states and Union Territories, and gradually expanded to cover more states. Currently, more than 25 states and Union Territories have been fully integrated into the One Nation One Ration Card system.

3. The scheme is being implemented by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, in collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. The government has been working to ensure the seamless integration of the scheme with the existing PDS system, as well as integrating the existing distribution network, beneficiary databases and the electronic point of sale (e-PoS) devices.

4. One of the key challenges faced by the scheme is the integration of the different technological systems used by different states for their PDS systems. To address this, the government has been working to standardize the technological systems and processes across the country.

5. Despite these challenges, the One Nation One Ration Card Scheme is making significant progress in ensuring that citizens have access to food grains under the NFSA, regardless of where they are in the country. The scheme is also aimed at reducing leakages and inefficiencies in the PDS system and ensuring that food grains reach the intended beneficiaries.

In conclusion, the One Nation One Ration Card Scheme is a crucial step towards ensuring food security for all citizens of India, and the government is taking all necessary measures to ensure its successful implementation.

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