SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has said there is currently no proposal to revive the distribution of sugar and kerosene oil through the Public Distribution System (PDS) in the Union Territory.
The government also said beneficiary identification under the food security system is being carried out according to the criteria prescribed under the Food Security Act rules, 2021.
The details were provided by the Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs in a written reply to a starred question raised by MLA Surjit Singh Salathia in the Legislative Assembly.
According to the reply, the number of beneficiaries and ration card targets for Jammu and Kashmir are determined and allocated by the Government of India. Existing beneficiaries and families were identified on the basis of Census 2011 data.
The department said that whenever the Union Government communicates revised beneficiary targets because of the inclusion of newly identified families, fresh ration cards under the applicable categories will be issued accordingly.
The government said it is also examining the need for opening new Fair Price Shops (FPS) across Jammu and Kashmir and rationalising existing outlets.
The assessment will take into account factors including the viability of shops, the number of ration cards tagged to each outlet, geographical accessibility and adequate coverage in remote and tribal areas.
The department said the Government of India has meanwhile launched the SARTHAK-PDS umbrella scheme, which subsumes assistance for intra-state movement, handling and FPS dealers’ margins and technology reforms under SMART-PDS.
According to the government, the scheme provides revised norms for central assistance towards transportation and handling, besides assured income for Fair Price Shop dealers, thereby improving their economic viability.
Proposals for new FPS outlets will consequently be assessed on the basis of viability under the assured-income model, decongestion of over-tagged shops and compliance with technology requirements, including electronic point-of-sale machines, integration of electronic weighing scales and Aadhaar authentication.
The government did not provide a specific timeline for opening new Fair Price Shops, saying the requirement was under examination.
