Govt to Launch Scheme to Allow Access to PDS Across the Country

This scheme will be most beneficial to migrant labour workers, who shift cities for better job opportunities

The central government plans to launch a scheme, ‘One Nation One Ration Card’, which will allow the receiver to access Public Distribution System (PDS) benefits from any PDS shop across the country.

Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan chaired a meeting about this scheme on Thursday, 27 June with various other government agencies like Food Corporation of India (FCI), Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) and State Warehousing Corporations (SWCs), reported The Indian Express.

“The target is to complete the formalities of the scheme in one year. The availability of PoS (Point of Sale) machines needs to be ensured at all PDS shops to implement the scheme. PoS machines are available at all PDS shops in various states, like Andhra Pradesh, Haryana and a few other others, but 100 percent availability is required to provide the benefit across the country.”

Ram Vilas Paswan, Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution

About The Scheme

The Integrated Management of PDS (IMPDS) scheme will be implemented by Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, under which beneficiaries will not be tied to one PDS shop. They can avail their share of food grains from any district in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana and Tripura.

According to Paswan, this will be most beneficial for migrant workers who keep moving between states in search of better job opportunities. This will also help reduce dependency on a single shop and curb corruption.

In the meeting that took place on Thursday, the states provided assurances that they would implement IMPDS at the earliest. As this will depend on having PoS machines at each PDS centre, Paswan gave an update on the number of shops which have been automated already.

“Around 78 percent of Fair Price Shops have so far been automated by installing electronic PoS devices.”

Ram Vilas Paswan, Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution