The pds in Chhattisgarh is a model for other states

RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh is the first state in India to make food a “right” for its citizens. In 2012, the state legislative Assembly passed the “Chhattisgarh Food Security Act 2012”, thereby making food a legal right for residents of the state. The Act is benefiting around 58 lakh families here. The provisions of the Act provide for 7 kg rice at Rs 1 for every member of a family registered in one ration card. In scheduled areas of the state where the tribal population is in majority, the Act provides for one kg free iodine salt. Ration card holders are also entitled to getting 2 kg in scheduled areas. Under the current regime, the public distribution system of Chhattisgarh, which has been recognised across India as a model system, is undergoing continuous upgradation. Ration is now being distributed through smart cards and this has helped weed out pilferage and corruption from the sys- tem while making the process user-friendly.

Instead of a traditional ration card made of paper, beneficiaries have been issued smart cards which carry their personal details along with ration entitlements. Every time a card is swiped at a ration shop, the state knows how much ration has been drawn vis-à-vis the allotted quota for the person. All the ration shops have been linked by satellite with a centralised database. So, if there is a queue of people at one shop, the beneficiary is free to go to another shop. It is like modern banking—customers are no longer tied down to one branch or shop. In addition to the smart card system, the 12,349 ration shops in the state are being connected via android tablets. Currently, about 97% of shops have been connected through tablets. It makes real-time monitoring possible while minimising the possibility of ration-theft.