Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday (September 12, 2020) launched the Smart Ration Card scheme to cover 1.41 crore beneficiaries across the state. The CM also announced a separate State-funded scheme to provide subsidized rations to the 9 lakh beneficiaries not covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).
The Chief Minister said that the total number of beneficiaries in the state will now go up to 1.50 crore adding that the Centre had capped the maximum number of beneficiaries to 1.41 crore and, despite repeated requests, had not agreed to provide subsidized rations to the deserving 9 lakh people not covered under NFSA.
"Punjab government had therefore decided to cover all such left out eligible persons under a State-funded scheme, details of which will be announced shortly," stated CM Singh.
With Smart Ration Card, the people of Punjab will be able to get ration from any depot by swiping the card in the machine. #CaptainSmartCard
— Government of Punjab (@PunjabGovtIndia) September 12, 2020
The Chief Minister opined the scheme would help curb corruption and give freedom to the beneficiaries to buy from any depot.
He described it as a major step towards empowering the beneficiary and said, "It will end the exploitation of beneficiaries by unscrupulous ration depot holders. The Smart Ration Card empowers the beneficiary to get his entitled quota of foodgrains from any Ration Depot in the State of Punjab."
Know what a smart ration card is and what its benefits are! pic.twitter.com/1XChuhJVtF
— Government of Punjab (@PunjabGovtIndia) September 12, 2020
Punjab Minister of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Bharat Bhushan Ashu said that the Smart cards will enable the beneficiaries to take ration from any shop, thus ending the monopoly of the ration depots.
As per him, the bio-metrics of the cardholder will be matched with the data stored in a chip on the smart ration card to prevent any fraudulent transfer of food grains and one card will suffice for the entire family.
