April 17, 2011 2:07:47 PM
SEEMA SINDHU | New Delhi
Drawing flak from the Supreme Court, the Government has started work on reforming the public distribution system (PDS) by using the unique identity number (UID). By integrating PDS with UID, the government intends to curb pilferage by eliminating bogus ration cards.
The department of food and public distribution has asked National Informatics Centre(NIC) to ready the framework. UID will provide every resident with a unique number that can serve as identity for everything from opening a bank account to receiving Government subsidy.
A Government official in the department of food and public distribution told The Pioneer, “UID has asked us to give a list of the beneficiaries for their registration. We have directed NIC to carry out the task. The NIC has developed a performa for that and given that to state governments to identify the beneficiaries and fill that and give back.”
The list from the State Government would be given to Unique Identity Authority of India (UIDAI) for registration and NIC will develop the software on basis of the performa. The distribution chain will be computerised. The beneficiaries will be given a smart card imbedded with their UID details and will have to swipe the card at the device in the fair price shop while lifting the subsidised grain. However, at present, there is no plan to lay subsidy money directly into the hands of the beneficiaries like in case of Kerosene, LPG and fertiliser.
The Ministry has identified four States for the initial phase, one from each zone — Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh and Delhi. It plans to implement it throughout the country by December 2012.
The Government provides cheap grain to poor through Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS). Under TPDS, allocations of foodgrains for the BPL and Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) categories are made at 35 kg per family per month for all accepted 6.52 crore BPL (including 2.43 crore AAY) families in the country as per 1993-94 poverty estimates of the Planning Commission and March 2000 population estimates of the Registrar General of India. BPL families get wheat and rice at Rs 4.15 and Rs 5.65 per kg, respectively while APL families get wheat at Rs 8.45 and rice for Rs 11.85.
Food subsidy is continuously rising and one of the major factors contributing to fiscal deficit. Since 2002 food subsidy has more than doubled from Rs 24,176 crore (2002-03) to Rs 58,242 crore (2009-10). Food subsidy is projected to touch a record high of Rs 74,000 crore this fiscal. What is bigger concern is that lot of it goes to affluent people. The economic survey 2010-11 said that between 40-55 per cent of the grain finds it way out of the system.
Last year, the Supreme Court had suggested the Government to reform the distribution system by using UID.