Soon,cash not grains on BPL ration cards

The scheme is in line with the idea floated by the Centre earlier this year of giving food subsidy in cash to families below the poverty line. The proposal aims at checking losses due to pilferage of foodgrain meant for distribution under PDS.

As part of the scheme,the government is to open bank accounts for ration card-holders from families both below and above the poverty line. The idea is to deposit the difference — between market prices of grains and controlled prices — in the accounts of card-holders.

The idea was floated by the Centre after the Supreme Court-appointed Justice D P Wadhwa Committee called PDS an “inefficient and corrupt” system. The committee,set up in 2006 to check the functioning of PDS,said there is an “unholy nexus between transporters,fair price shop owners and officials of the Department of Food and Civil Supply”.

About the cash for food scheme,Delhi government officials said the Centre has given a go-ahead in principle. They said the Food and Supplies Department has been asked to identify a district to launch the pilot project.

“We will begin with a part of the city and are roping in organisations and agencies to assist us,” Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta said. He said the government may include global networks like the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as part of the project.

Following recent reports of bogus and multiple ration cards,the idea is to make the system more transparent and ensure subsidies reach the poor,for whom PDS was designed,according to officials.

There are about 14 lakh ration card-holders in Delhi,officials said. And as per a recent survey by the government for the Mission Convergence Scheme to ensure that welfare schemes benefit people who deserve them,there are 3,99,122 people in Delhi in the Below Poverty Line category.

According to an official,the cash amount to be deposited in a beneficiary’s bank account would be calculated on the basis of subsidy given. For instance,if a ration card-holder is saving Rs 200 through subsidies provided by the government,the department will deposit Rs 200 in his account,the official explained. 

Nilekani: Unique I-cards in 3 years
The Delhi government will share details of its database compiled for the Mission Convergence Scheme,officials today said. This came after Nandan Nilekani,chairman of the National ID Authority of India,met Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta and gave a presentation on all aspects of the project. According to officials,Nilekani said with the state government’s cooperation,Delhi residents could get their unique identity cards within three years.