(File photo)

NEW DELHI: The Centre on Thursday announced roll out of ‘ One Nation One Ration Card ’ to ensure no poor person is deprived of getting subsidised foodgrains under food security scheme when he shifts from one place to another. This will also remove the chance of anyone holding more than one ration card to avail benefits from different states.

The decision to fast track the roll out was taken at a meeting of state food secretaries chaired by Union food minister Ram Vilas Paswan . Claiming that migrant labourers will be the biggest beneficiary of this initiative, Paswan said, “They will have full food security. This will also provide freedom to the beneficiaries as they will not be tied to any one PDS shop. It will curtail instances of corruption.”

In order to achieve this target, the food ministry will create a central depository of all ration cards which will help in eliminating duplication. TOI on March 22, 2018 had first reported the Centre’s plan to set up a real-time online database of ration cards—Integrated Management of PDS (IMPDS)—on the lines of the lines of GSTIN.

The food ministry said the IMPDS is already operational in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana and Tripura wherein a beneficiary can avail his share of foodgrain from any district in the state.

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