SRINAGAR: The Central Government on Thursday said it has significantly strengthened the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) through digitisation, Aadhaar authentication and technology-driven monitoring, with 99.7 per cent of ration cards linked to Aadhaar and 99.8 per cent of Fair Price Shops (FPSs) equipped with electronic Point of Sale (ePoS) devices.
Replying to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Shrimati Nimuben Jayantibhai Bambhaniya, said the TPDS under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 operates under the joint responsibility of the Centre and the States/Union Territories. While the Centre is responsible for procurement, allocation and transportation of foodgrains up to Food Corporation of India (FCI) depots, State and UT governments oversee beneficiary identification, ration card issuance, distribution through Fair Price Shops and monitoring of the system.
The Minister acknowledged that complaints relating to leakages, irregularities and benefits reaching ineligible beneficiaries continue to be received. She said such complaints are forwarded to the respective State or UT governments for inquiry and appropriate action. Violations of the TPDS (Control) Order, 2015 are punishable under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, empowering States and UTs to initiate penal action.
According to the government, all States and UTs have fully digitised their ration card databases, while 99.7 per cent of ration cards have been Aadhaar-seeded to eliminate duplicate and bogus beneficiaries. Transparency portals, online grievance redressal systems and toll-free helplines are operational across the country.
The reply further stated that online foodgrain allocation has been implemented nationwide, with supply chains computerised in 31 States and UTs. Chandigarh, Puducherry and the urban areas of Dadra and Nagar Haveli have adopted Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) cash transfers instead.
The government also said 5.50 lakh of the country’s 5.51 lakh Fair Price Shops have been automated with ePoS devices, enabling biometric authentication of beneficiaries at the time of foodgrain distribution and helping curb diversion.
It added that the One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) scheme has been rolled out across all 36 States and UTs, covering all beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY). More than 221 crore portability transactions have been recorded so far, reducing exclusion and preventing duplicate claims.
To further strengthen oversight, the Food Corporation of India has introduced a GPS-enabled Vehicle Location Tracking System (VLTS) for monitoring the movement of foodgrains by road and rail from dispatching depots to receiving depots, the Minister said, adding that the system is intended to minimise pilferage during transit.
The government also informed the House that helpline numbers 1967 and 1800-State series are operational across all States and UTs to facilitate complaint registration and grievance redressal under the Public Distribution System.
