One Nation One Ration Card
Recently, Rajasthan has also implemented the ‘One Nation One Ration Cards’. In this way, Rajasthan has become the 12thstate in the country to implement one nation-one ration card scheme.
Other States to Implementer ‘One Nation – One Ration Card :
Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh.
One Nation – One Ration Card Scheme :
It is a national scheme which ensures that all the people benefiting from the public distribution system, especially those who are displaced from one place to another, can get grains etc. from the PDS shop of their choice. So far this facility provided in 17 states/UTs, like Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan.
Significance of the scheme :
- Through this scheme, ration will be available to all citizens anywhere in the country, and under the National Food Security Act, 2013, the availability of food grains will be ensured to all people.
- The scheme will benefit the poor, laborers and people who migrate from one state to another due to livelihood, employment or any other reason.
- Through this scheme, no beneficiary will be tied to any one PDS shop, and their dependence on PDS shopkeepers will decrease, as well as corruption cases will also decline.
Challenges:
- If ‘one nation – one rations card’ scheme is implemented then it is likely that it will lead to corruption, as each state has its own rules regarding public distribution system.
- The scheme has potential for exploitation by middlemen and the owner of a corrupt PDS shop, for which reason Tamil Nadu has opposed the scheme.
- Tamil Nadu has said that, implementing it will lead to undesirable consequences. At the same time, says that this plan is falters on federalism.
Source – PIB
