15/05/2020 - Government Policies | Mainstorming

IAS Parliament 5 years

KEY POINTS

· Under the National Food Security Act, 2013, about 81 crore persons are entitled to buy subsidized foodgrain — rice at Rs 3/kg, wheat at Rs 2/kg, and coarse grains at Re 1/kg — from their designated Fair Price Shops (FPS) of the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS).

· In the present system, a ration cardholder can buy foodgrains only from an FPS that has been assigned to her in the locality in which she lives. However, this will change once the ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ system becomes operational nationally. This is how it will work:

· The new system, based on a technological solution, will identify a beneficiary through biometric authentication on electronic Point of Sale (ePoS) devices installed at the FPSs, and enable that person to purchase the quantity of foodgrains to which she is entitled under the NFSA.

· The PDS system was marred with inefficiency leading to leakages in the system. To plug the leakages and make the system better, the government started the reform process.

· For, this purpose it used a technological solution involving the use of Aadhaar to identify beneficiaries. Under the scheme, the seeding of ration cards with Aadhaar is being done.

· Simultaneously, PoS machines are being installed at all FPSs across the country. Once 100 per cent of Aadhaar seeding and 100 per cent installation of PoS devices is achieved, the national portability of ration cards will become a reality.

· It will enable migrant workers to buy foodgrains from any FPS by using their existing/same ration card.

· The facility of inter-state ration card portability is available in 20 states as of now but the number of transactions done through using this facility has been low so far.

· According to data available on the IMPDS portal, only 275 transactions have been done until May 14. However, the number of transactions in intra-state ration card portability is quite high.

Sanjeev Kumar Singh 5 years

Please review my answer

IAS Parliament 5 years

Try to avoid listing out points and explain them briefly. Keep Writing.

Aradhana Tiwari 5 years

India is managing the effects of the global Covid-19 pandemic using unprecedented public health and economic measures. Among the many parts of the economy that require immediate attention is the "One Nation One Ration Card system".

Under the National Food Security Act, 2013, about 81 crore persons are entitled to buy subsidized foodgrain — rice at Rs 3/kg, wheat at Rs 2/kg, and coarse grains at Re 1/kg — from their designated Fair Price Shops (FPS) of the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS).

"One Nation One Ration Card system" is the the national portability of ration cards.

>>> Benefits :

- will enable person to buy their share of foodgrains as per their entitlement under the NFSA across the country.

It means, it will enable true implementation of the National Food Security Act, 2013 , which is one of the major issues faced by migrants.

- will enable everyone including migrant workers and their family members to access PDS benefits from any Fair Price Shop across the country.

This means it will provide inter state as well as intra state portability of ration cards.

- plug the leakages of Public Distribution System (PDS) and make the system better.

- will also reduce corruption in PDS.

- will empower citizens and reduce monopoly behaviour of ration shop owners.

- will reduce human mobility and enable migrants to adhere to the lockdown restrictions. This will help to curb the pandemic.

>>> Challenges :

- the success of this endeavour will depend on the kind of technology platform being adopted, the governance structure, mapping of incentives and the political economy.

>>> Way Ahead :

- there must be complete and effective implementation at the national level.

- there must also be enough lead time dedicated to the policy rollout, including for the installation of electronic point of sales (EPoS) systems at ration shops, the linking of these EPoS systems to migrants’ biometric information, and to ensure migrants are aware of the new system and how to access it.

- engaging with local governments and local stakeholders to distribute food to migrants in the immediate term.

>>> Conclusion :

One Nation One Ration Card system could have been a hugely positive strategic platform. This is a critical complement to formal policies in ensuring food security for migrants in this crisis situation.

IAS Parliament 5 years

Good attempt. Keep Writing.

Deepika 5 years

Please give feedback.