Govt plans to launch biometric ration cards across state

“These are minor bottlenecks which will be resolved soon. The bar-coded biometric card system has proven to be very effective in providing the ration material to actual beneficiaries and prevent misuse by the Fair Price Shops(FPS).”

Each bar-coded card has fingerprints and photographs of family members and immensely help in controlling pilferage,the source said.

The present bar-coded computerized ration card is issued under Gujarat Ration Card Computerization (GRCC),an E-Governance project,which aims at digitization of data for the entire ration card holders.

There were two major tasks: first was to complete backlog of ration card from 1998 (earlier data entry was done by other company) and the other was issue of new card and update of old ration card.

The major ration card transactions are: issuing of new Above Poverty Line (APL) 1 Card,New APL 2 Card,New BPL Card and modification in old ration cards like transfer of ration card from one Fair Price Shop (FPS) to other FPS,one taluka to other taluka,change category of ration card like APL to BPL or BPL to APL,deletion of ration card,addition and deletion of members from ration cards and division of ration card.

These services can be accessed from all the 225 taluka e-dhara centres in the state.

The government has decided to separate ration card holders in two categories. One category will be of those who have or want to have ration cards either as mere important identity or residence proof but don’t take or not want to take ration material or just want it for LPG connection only. The other category will be of those cardholders who actually uses or want to use the card for groceries.