The public distribution system in Uttar Pradesh has undergone complete transformation as in the last six months 1,61,256 new ration cards have been made by the state government under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), taking the total number of ration card holders in the state to 3,60,12,758.
Besides, the state government has facilitated linking of almost 100 per cent (99.79 per cent) of the ration cards with Aadhaar card to bring transparency into the public distribution system, which is a milestone in itself.
"The linking of the ration card with Aadhaar card has stopped irregularities in the distribution so only those entitled have received the supply. Besides, the introduction of e-POS (Point of Sale) machines has further checked corruption on the part of ration dealers," an official said.
The Yogi Adityanath government is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that only the rightful persons receive the ration.
Arrangements have also been made by the government to provide ration facility to even those people whose thumb impression does not match. Such people will get the supply on the basis of OTP received by them on their registered mobile phone numbers.
This year, the UP government provided free ration to 15 crore people in July and August amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The monthly ration includes three kilograms of wheat and two kilograms of rice to each card holder.
According to the officials of the Food department, providing ration to the poor and needy is one of the priorities of the Yogi government.
"The state government implemented the One Nation One Ration Card scheme in May, 2020. Under the scheme, 87,239 card holders of the state have collected ration from other states whereas 8,110 card holders of other states have taken ration in Uttar Pradesh," the official said.
Furthermore, the state government was also cancelling ration cards of those who do not fulfill the criteria prescribed for it, officials said.
In rural areas, families who have more than five acres of irrigated land, or whose income is more than Rs 2 lakh per annum, cannot avail the benefit of PDS ration as per law.
