DCS TO CONDUCT VERIFICATION OF SMART RATION CARD SCHEME BENEFICIARIES: ASHU

Chandigarh, October 4, 2018: The Deputy Commissioners across the State would conduct fresh verification of eligible beneficiaries covered under Smart Ration Card Scheme (NFSA, 2013) with immediate effect, informed Mr.Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Food and Civil Supplies Minister, Punjab. He informed that the decision has been taken in view of the directions of Chief Minister Punjab, Captain Amarinder Singh who desires every eligible household to avail the benefit and simultaneously ensure exclusion of the ineligible ones. It is pertinent to mention that the State Government was receiving constant complaints regarding the inclusion of ineligible beneficiaries and wrong exclusion of eligible beneficiaries availing subsidized wheat at the rate of Rs 2/kg under the Scheme. So, the Deputy Commissioners have been entrusted to carry out the verification exercise in the state to ensure that the beneficiaries are identified as per the notified eligibility criteria of Smart Ration Card Scheme. The beneficiaries will be required to apply in a given format to the respective DCs/SDMs along with the consent to use Aadhaar Number for Aadhaar based authentication during process of distribution of foodgrains with electronic Point of Sale (ePoS) machines. At present, approximately 35.26 lac families are taking benefit of the scheme. There are two types of categories covered under this scheme,namely the Priority Household (PHH) and Antodyaya Anna Yojana (AAY) families as mandated in National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013. The act also makes it mandatory for the State Governments to update the list of eligible households within the number of persons determined by Government of India. According to GoI, in the state of Punjab, 1,41,45,000 beneficiaries (Approximately 35-36 lakh families) are to be covered under the said scheme. The percentage of coverage in the rural areas will be 54.79% of 2011 population census and 44.83% in the urban areas.