Govt to make Aadhar ‘essential’, not must for PDS
NEW DELHI: In a move aimed at bringing transparency in the public distribution system, the Centre is mulling to make Aadhar card essential, although not mandatory, for subsidised foodgrain under the National Food Security Act. The government has asked states & UTS to link them with ration cards at the earliest to streamline the reforms in the PDS.
Notably, under the food law, over 80 crore people get 5 kg wheat or rice per person per month at Rs 2-3 per kg costing exchequer Rs 1.4 lakh crore annually.
While speaking on the sidelines of an event, Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said, “At present, nearly 29,000 fair price shops have the cashless facility out of 5.27 lakh ration shops. We are happy to share that many states will have 100 per cent cashless system in rations shops by March. The government is also planning to make Aadhar card essential to check leakages in the PDS.”
Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Maharashtra are the states that have committed to adopt digital payment system in their ration shops by March, Paswan said, while speaking at a national conference of state food ministers and secretaries on ‘PDS Reforms and Cashless/lesscash Environment in New Delhi on Thursday.
“Most of the states will have digital payment system by June,” he said, adding that Bihar and Uttarakhand have promised to install cashless system by July while Andaman & Nicobar and J&K by end of this year.
“Even West Bengal, which has been critical of the demonetisation move, has agreed to go cashless by June.
The beneficiaries would continue to have the option of payment through cash,” he said, adding that end-to-end computerisation of the PDS system and cashless transaction at ration shops would help check corruption and promote transparency in PDS.
Food Secretary Preeti Sudan said that the government is moving towards making Aadhar “essential” but not “mandatory” and added that a notification in this regard would be issued. Joint Secretary (food and public distribution) Prashant Trivedi was also present on the occasion.